Herbal Mocktails for Winter

by Amanda Crooke, Locust Light Farm!

Mocktails are a wonderful way to enjoy herbs. There are endless combinations, ingredients, and flavors you can create. I especially love winter mocktails, because the warming spices are so yummy, and you can make hot mocktails to mix up your winter tea routine.

My favorite ingredient to include in a mocktail is an oxymel. Oxymels are syrups made from an acid and a sweetener, usually apple cider vinegar and honey. The sweet-sour taste highlights herbal flavors in exciting ways, especially bitter and spicy flavors.

Oxymels are also very forgiving: you don’t need to fuss about exact measurements, and you can experiment with whatever’s in your cabinet. Here’s a recipe that features one of my favorite flavor combinations: rosemary, orange peel, and ginger.

Spicy Winter Oxymel

Ingredients:

1 Tbsp Rosemary, dried or fresh

1 Tbsp Orange Peel, dried or fresh, roughly chopped

1 Tsp fresh Ginger, finely chopped (or ½ tsp dried powdered Ginger)

½ cup Apple Cider Vinegar

½ cup Honey

Instructions:

1.     Add herbs to a half-pint mason jar

2.     Add Apple Cider Vinegar

3.     Add Honey

4.     Stir well.

5.     Cap with plastic lid, or put parchment paper between liquid and lid.

6.     Shake daily for 5-14 days.

7.     Strain.

8.     Enjoy! Refrigeration is not necessary but optional.

Spicy Winter Mocktail, Cold

Ingredients:

Ice

4-6 oz. Seltzer, Club Soda, or Sparkling Water

2 oz. Ginger Beer

1-2 oz. Spicy Winter Oxymel, to taste

2 slices fresh Orange

Instructions:

1.     Add liquid ingredients to cup.

2.     Give a quick stir.

3.     Squeeze one orange slice into the cup. Use the second to garnish.

4.     Enjoy!

Spicy Winter Mocktail, Warm

Ingredients:

4-6 oz. Hot water

½ oz. fresh-squeezed orange juice (the result of squeezing 2-3 slices)

1-2 oz. Spicy Winter Oxymel, to taste

Sprinkle of Ginger powder or ¼ tsp. grated fresh Ginger

Sprig of Rosemary

Instructions:

1.     Add hot water to a mug.

2.     Squeeze 2-3 Orange slices into the hot water.

3.     Add the oxymel.

4.     If desired, sprinkle in a small bit of ginger.

5.     Garnish with a sprig of Rosemary.

6.     Enjoy!