TL;DR
When to Drink a Blackberry-Thyme Tom Collins Mocktail
–Imbolc
-Late Summer
The Functional Benefit of this Blackberry-Thyme Tom Collins Mocktail
–Dental Hygiene
The Magickal Intent of this Blackberry-Thyme Tom Collins Mocktail
–House Blessing
The History Behind the Original Tom Collins Cocktail
There’s some debate as to the origin of the Tom Collins cocktail, but it’s probably derived from the gin punches that gained popularity during the early 19th century. Generally speaking, a Collins means a sour cocktail, involving a spirit mixed with sugar and citrus, topped with soda water – essentially a spiked sparkling lemonade.
One of the things that makes a Tom Collins cocktail recognizable is that it’s served in a tall Collins glass (designed to keep it carbonated for longer) and garnished with a maraschino cherry.
What Makes this Blackberry Mocktail “Functional?”
Because blackberries are full of fiber, they improve digestion and help regulate blood sugar levels – as well as being excellent sources of vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese. Polyphenols – the naturally occurring antioxidants found in blackberries – help reduce inflammation, which can avert cardiovascular disease, improve brain function and ultimately help prevent cancer.
One study suggested that blackberry extract has antibacterial and anti-inflammatory abilities that fight oral disease, gum disease and cavities. And thyme, known for its powerful antimicrobial properties, is a common ingredient in mouthwash recipes. White tea also helps protect your teeth from bacteria, so this blackberry mocktail is a perfect storm of immune-boosters and oral health-supporting ingredients.
Blackberry-Thyme “Tom Collins” Mocktail’s Magickal Correspondence
The Celtic holiday of Imbolc, welcoming the first stirrings of spring, was originally determined not by fixed dates on the calendar, but by shifting cosmic events. The ancients saw solstices, equinoxes and changing moon phases as shifts in the energetic cycles that shaped life. For this reason, they were considered auspicious times to perform life-enhancing magick.
The celebration is personified by the goddess Brigid, who is goddess of healing, poetry, the forge/blacksmithing and the sacred wells. When the 12-month Roman calendar was enforced for the purpose of disconnecting the pagans from their old religious beliefs, Brigid’s holy day became Candlemas and the feast of Saint Brigid, and is now typically observed beginning February 1st and lasting until sundown on February 2nd.
According to the old traditions, dishes made with blackberries – considered sacred to Brigid – will strengthen the powers of the sun and enhance abundance, prosperity, vibrancy and good health. In European folk medicine, crawling under arches of blackberry vines was thought to cure certain ailments and protect against evil.
Growing a blackberry bush on your property is said to attract fairies, and bowls of the fruit can be left out as a token of friendship with them. Burn the dried leaves in spells to attract money or sprinkle them around your property to draw luck.
How to Use This Blackberry Mocktail Recipe in Your Magickal Practice
Blackberry and thyme both represent protection, and Imbolc is a time for doing protective magick on behalf of your family and fur babies, making this Sabbat (and accompanying mocktail) perfect for a home blessing spell. For the full effect of this ritual, cleanse your space first with smoke, sound (clapping your hands or ringing a bell) or by sweeping the negative energy from the back of the house to the front and out the door with a besom (witch’s broom).
As you combine the ingredients in your blackberry mocktail, concentrate on the magickal energy each imparts to the whole. Visualize Brigid imbuing your mocktail with her fiery protective energy and filling your home with the peaceful flow of her healing waters.
Once your mocktail is made, walk to the threshold of your home (typically the front door) and say the following:
Brigid’s House Blessing
May Brigid bless the house wherein we dwell
Bless every fireside, every wall and door
Bless every heart that beats beneath its roof
Bless every hand that toils to bring it joy
Bless every foot that walks its portals thus (here step through the doorway, turning to face your home from the outside)
May Brigid bless this house that shelters us.
Enjoy your beverage, envisioning a home abundant with blessings.
So mote it be.
Blackberry-Thyme “Tom Collins” Mocktail Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
Drink Base
- 3/4 cup water
- 2 bags white tea (cleansing, new beginnings)
- 5 juniper berries (protection, purification, healing)
Mixers
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme (protection, peace)
- 2 tbsp honey (purification, sweetness, prosperity)
- 8-12 blackberries, (protection, abundance), muddled
- 2 tbsp lemon juice from approx 1 lemon (purification)
- ice
- seltzer to top (I used unsweetened blackberry flavor)
Garnish
- 2-3 blackberries on cocktail picks
- 2 sprigs thyme
- lemon wheel
Instructions
- Add thyme sprigs, gently muddled juniper berries and the tea bags to a mug or tea pot and pour ¾ cup boiling water over it. Steep for five minutes, then remove and squeeze out bags. Continue to let thyme sprigs and juniper steep for 5 more minutes. Strain aromatics, stir in honey and place in fridge until chilled (approx 30 minutes).
- Muddle 6 blackberries and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice gently in each of two Collins glasses, softening but not pulverizing the berries.
- Fill glasses to the top with ice, then add half the honey-white tea mixture. Top with blackberry seltzer water.
- Forgo the traditional cherry, and garnish with blackberries, skewered and threaded with thyme.
