TL;DR
When to Drink a Tart Cherry “Mule” Mocktail
-National Cherry Month (February)
-Summer
The Functional Benefit of this Tart Cherry “Mule” Mocktail
–Muscle Recovery
The Magickal Intent of this Tart Cherry “Mule” Mocktail
–Manifesting Love
The History Behind the Original Moscow Mule Cocktail
The Moscow Mule is comprised of vodka, ginger beer and lime. Born in 1941, it’s a mid-century classic that helped contribute to vodka’s rise in America. As legend goes, it was created by two men – John Martin, who needed to sell Smirnoff vodka, a new and relatively unknown spirit at the time, and Jack Morgan, who wanted to deplete the stash of ginger beer taking up space at his pub. There is a conflicting story that says that a bartender named Wes Price was the true originator of the recipe, but the first seems to be the most widely accepted.
The drink is a type of buck, sometimes called a vodka buck, which simply means it’s made with ginger ale or ginger beer, citrus juice and a base liquor. The liquor determines the cocktail’s name – and the options are endless.
A proper mule should be arctic-cold and the trademark copper mug they are traditionally served in helps achieve this goal. Add a combo of cubed and crushed ice if you’re really serious. When purchasing copper mugs for your home bar, look for the kind with a protective coating (such as stainless steel) on the inside and the lip, to reduce the risk of copper toxicity.
What Makes this Tart Cherry Mule Mocktail “Functional?”
Tart cherry juice contains many nutrients and beneficial plant compounds, especially compared to sweet cherry juice. Among its known benefits is the ability to increase the body’s melatonin levels, which can reduce symptoms of insomnia and result in better quality sleep.
The high antioxidant levels in tart cherry juice may also help improve cognitive function, and drinking it may help you lose weight, reduce blood pressure and protect against cancer.
If your weekly workouts leave you feeling sore, tart cherry juice is a powerful tonic for recovery. Consuming it in the days leading up to and immediately following intense physical exercise has been shown to result in less muscle damage, soreness, inflammation . . . and can speed up recovery. Additionally, tart cherry juice and supplements may increase muscle strength.
If you’re an active person, the potent combination of tart cherry juice with ginger’s own inflammation-reducing and muscle-soothing superpowers are sure to make this tart cherry mocktail recipe a regular in your rotation.
Lime has an abundance of functional properties, upping the nutritional ante even further. We love the addition of kombucha in this recipe, too, because it’s oh-so good for you, and it adds a ginger bite without the refined sugar you find in ginger beer.
Tart Cherry Mule Mocktail’s Magickal Correspondence
Cherries are decidedly feminine, represented by Venus and the element of water. They burst into spring with blossoms as delicate as they are beautiful. Because the stone (pit) of the cherry is housed in the “womb” of the fruit, they are ideal for love spells and fertility magic. The wood, pits and dried blossoms can all be used in incense recipes to enhance the potency of love magick and create an ambiance ripe for romance.
Cherry pits have long been used for divination and foretelling. Though the fruit and inner bark are edible and medicinal, the pits and the rest of the tree are extremely toxic. They contain hydrocyanic acid, which smells like bitter almond when crushed or cut, and is basically cyanide. Perhaps appropriately then, cherry represents the double-edged sword passionate love can so often be.
You can use the pits of cherries to replace poisons in a spell. I repeat, don’t eat them or feed them to anyone, but they work well in spell jars for intentions like ridding yourself of unwanted attention. You can also toss the pits back to the earth, each one representative of a problem you wish to banish.
Cherry juice can be used as a substitute for blood in ritual, and the blossoms and stones are excellent additions to spells drawing on the energy of spring to manifest a fresh start.
This tart cherry mocktail is the most fitting of love spells for a sultry Valentine’s Day rendezvous, but it can be enjoyed any time, especially during the summer – when cherries are extra delicious and abundant at farmer’s markets – so be sure to add it to your list of mocktails for 4th of July.
How to Use This Tart Cherry Mule Mocktail in Your Magickal Practice
For this love spell, you will need a piece of paper, an envelope and a pen. As you make your mocktail, focus on the kind of love you intend to call in, and/or on a specific person.
Take a sip from your drink and feel yourself drawing on the strength of ginger, lime and cherry to ignite the fire of desire or enhance your burgeoning love (this can be love for yourself, too).
As you enjoy your beverage, grab your paper and pen and do one of the following:
If you are looking to strengthen love or to attract a specific person, write that person’s name and date of birth. Draw a circle around it.
If you are looking for new love, write down a few qualities you would like your future partner to have.
If you are working on self-love, write your own name and some qualities you need to take more pride in, or anything you are wishing for for yourself – in the present-tense.
When you have finished, fold the paper towards you and place it inside the envelope.
Lick the envelope and seal it with a kiss. Add a few drops of your perfume to the envelope to increase its attractive energies.
Sip your mocktail and feel the energy of the love spell entering your body and flowing into your hands. They might tingle or feel like they’re “buzzing.” Once you feel it, press the envelope to your heart and say the following:
Love-drawing cherry, ginger’s bite
Help me shape my dream tonight.
Beneath this moon, a seed I’m sewing,
That love for me is quickly growing,
A heart is sweetened, change is near,
The Goddess smiles, my love is here!
By powers of Earth, Wind, Fire and Sea,
This is my will,
So mote it be.
Place the envelope under your mattress or bed. Wait at least 14 days to see results.
Tart Cherry Mule Mocktail
Ingredients
Drink Base
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 inch knob fresh ginger, sliced into rounds
Mixers
- 2 tbsp (1 oz) honey (purification, sweetness, prosperity)
- 2 tbsp (1 oz) lime juice, from approx 2 limes (purification)
- 6 oz tart cherry juice (love, emotions, romance)
- 8-10 drops Love Me Long Time Bitters, optional
- ice
- ginger kombucha or ginger beer, to top
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine sliced ginger (no need to peel it) and water. Bring the mixture to a boil over high heat. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer. Simmer for five minutes, then pour tea through a fine sieve. Stir in 2 T honey and place in the fridge until chilled (approx 30 minutes).
- When the ginger tea is cool, divide it between two ice-filled copper mugs. Add 1/2 oz lime juice and 3 oz tart cherry juice to each mug. Add bitters, if using.
- Top with ginger kombucha or ginger beer.
- Garnish with a lime wheel or a skewer of cherry halves, pits removed so they look like hearts.
