Cocktails and mocktails provide the perfect opportunity to put our favorite botanicals to creative use. Whether mixed with fresh garden herbs, homemade tinctures, or kitchen spices, mixed drinks are a fun and tasty way to enjoy the benefits of herbs and spices—and to apply our love of herbalism.

A paloma is traditionally made with tequila, grapefruit juice, and lime juice—the Herbal Academy’s Pirate Paloma puts a spicy twist on the classic paloma cocktail. Combining warming masala chai spices with refreshing grapefruit and lime, the mixture of spice, citrus, and rum will transport you to a dreamy summer scene. Picture a mellow breeze gently rustling through palm trees on a remote tropical island, as you and your pals leisurely sip on this spicy yet refreshing beverage. Served over ice, the Pirate Paloma cocktail is ideal for warm summer days. However, the circulation and digestion-boosting spices and immune-supportive grapefruit and lime juice make this botanical cocktail/mocktail double as a fall or winter tonic.

You can find this recipe and more in our Botanical Mixed Drinks Recipe Book, a collection of 82 cocktails and mocktails inspired by the seasons. The Botanical Mixed Drinks Recipe Book is the second installment in our Herbal Academy Recipe Book Collection and an extension of our online Botanical Mixed Drinks Workshop. 

This playful, self-paced workshop covers everything you need to know about making delicious, beneficial herbal cocktails and mocktails at home (and you don’t need to drink alcohol to enjoy these recipes and techniques!). From Nettle Spring Sting, to Holiday Hot Cacao, to Chamomile and Elderflower Hot Toddy, it’s safe to say that herbalists know drinks—and you’ll get your hands on all of the Herbal Academy’s favorites! Discover the basics of botanical mixology such as how to make herbal sugars and syrups, infused honeys, and herbal vinegars, and how to apply bitters and tinctures for tasty beverage mixing! 

Now back to our featured summer recipe—the Pirate Paloma. 

Pirate Paloma Ingredients 

The unusual blend of masala chai spices and citrus makes for a uniquely tasty beverage. Here’s a breakdown of the ingredients and their benefits. 

• Cinnamon bark  (Cinnamomum spp.)

This common kitchen spice has extraordinary health benefits. Cinnamon supports circulation and helps the body with the process of digestion.* Though it has an overall warming effect, its diaphoretic (sweat-inducing and circulation-enhancing) properties make it work well in hot and cool temperatures alike. 

• Star Anise Seed Pod (Illicium verum)

Star anise, which is actually from the magnolia family, is a common ingredient in Chinese and Vietnamese cuisine; it plays a key role in Chinese 5 spice blend. A star anise pod or two also makes an aromatic, distinctive, and visually appealing addition to any masala chai blend. Star anise is a tasty, lovely-to-look-at, aromatic spice with antioxidant qualities. 

• Clove Bud (Syzygium aromaticum)

An antioxidant superstar, this pungent aromatic spice is a key ingredient in masala chai as well as classical spice blends such as garam masala. Clove boosts appetite and digestion, and benefits the respiratory tract by assisting in the removal of excess mucus from the lungs.*

• Fresh Ginger rhizome (Zingiber officinale)

One cannot overstate the uses and benefits of ginger. Ginger assists in circulation, digestion, promotes sweating, and is helpful for irritated throats and other symptoms that come with upper respiratory discomfort.* This warming, versatile spice is an essential kitchen spice and a key ingredient in masala chai. Use ginger (fresh or dried) to season savory and sweet foods alike. 

• Cardamom Pod (Elettaria cardamomum)

Aromatic and delicious, cardamom is a helpful carminative. This delightful spice has sattvic (purifying and clearing) qualities and therefore assists with mental acuity while gently stimulating digestion. 

• Nutmeg seed (Myristica fragrans)

Nutmeg has a calming, even sleep-inducing effect, and works well as a digestive stimulant and carminative. Carminatives ease gas and bloating through their antispasmodic action within the digestive tract. Nutmeg also has astringent properties. You may recognize its distinctive flavor as being a key ingredient in the classic winter beverage, eggnog. 

• Grapefruit Juice

Grapefruit and grapefruit juice are a remarkably rich source of vitamin C, which benefits the immune system. This healthful citrus fruit is also full of antioxidants. Its bitter and sour taste provides a nice complement to the slight sweetness of this mixed drink. 

• Lime Juice

Perfect for a hot summer day, lime has gently cooling energetics; its sourness and mild bitterness also stimulate digestion. 

Spiced Rum (or Herbal Chai) 

Follow the directions below to make either a spiced rum or herbal chai. Whether you choose the cocktail or mocktail option for the Pirate Paloma, the chai spice blend offers a host of digestion-enhancing, circulation-promoting spices in a glass! 

Source many of these ingredients at your local grocery store and your spices at Mountain Rose Herbs! Don’t forget, students of Herbal Academy get 10% off your Mountain Rose Herbs shopping cart with registration in our foundational herbalism courses.

The Spicy Paloma Cocktail & Mocktail

You and your shipmates will love this spicy mixed drink that will transport you to a warm beach on a remote Caribbean island. This cocktail or mocktail can be enjoyed any time of the year but is especially lovely when you’re missing the sun. 

Enjoy the Paloma cocktail in a Collins glass over ice and garnish with fresh grapefruit. *Note that the spiced rum needs to be prepared 2 weeks ahead of time.

Paloma Base Recipe

Excerpted from the Herbal Academy’s Botanical Mixed Drinks Recipe Book

Spiced Rum or Herbal Chai

Ingredients

• 3 organic cinnamon sticks, crushed
• 1 organic star anise pod
• 20 organic whole cloves
• 4 inches fresh ginger, minced
• 3 organic cardamom pods, crushed
• 1/4 tsp. organic nutmeg powder
• 8 fl. oz. (240 mL) rum or boiled water

Directions

Spice-Infused Rum Recipe:

1. Combine herbs and spices in a glass canning jar with rum. 
2. Place a piece of natural waxed paper between the jar and the lid and seal. Label the jar, shake, and place in a dark location for 2 weeks.
3. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, compost herbs, and reserve spiced rum in a clean, labeled glass jar or bottle to be used within 1-2 years.

Herbal Chai Recipe:      

1. Combine herbs and spices in a glass canning jar and carefully add boiling water. 
2. Cap with a small plate or a lid to trap the steam and volatile oils inside the jar. Steep for 30-60 minutes.
3. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve, compost herbs, and reserving the herbal chai in a clean, labeled glass jar in the refrigerator to use within 24 hours. 
4. Extra chai may be used in a baking recipe or to sweeten and drink as is.
   
   

Pirate Paloma Cocktail & Mocktail

Ingredients

• 2 fl. oz. (60 mL) Spiced Rum (or Herbal Chai), see above
• 1/2 fl. oz. (15 mL) simple syrup
• 1 fl. oz. (30 mL) freshly squeezed grapefruit juice
• 1/2 fl. oz. (15 mL) freshly squeezed lime juice
• Carbonated water
• Fresh grapefruit peel for garnish (optional)

1. Fill a Collins glass with ice. Wedge a strip of grapefruit peel between the ice and the glass, if desired, and set it aside.
2. To make a cocktail, combine the spiced rum, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and simple syrup in a glass canning jar. 
3. To make a mocktail, combine the spiced chai, grapefruit juice, lime juice, and simple syrup in a glass canning jar. 
4. Fill the jar 2/3 full of ice, cap, and shake hard for 20 seconds. Strain the liquid from the jar over the ice in the Collins glass. Top by slowly pouring carbonated water over the ice. 
5. Garnish with another fresh grapefruit peel, if desired.

Gather your spices, batten down the hatches, and ready, set, relax! Pour yourself and your shipmates a cold one and spend a leisurely summer afternoon swinging in a hammock— sipping on a Pirate Paloma Cocktail or Mocktail as you recall fond memories and share adventurous tales. 

Looking for other delightful mocktail recipes?

Try This Lemon Mint Oxymel + Mocktail (Without Vinegar)

You may also enjoy:
Elderflower Cordial Recipe with Fresh or Dried Flowers
Tulsi Strawberry Shrub Recipe
Herbalist Shopping List for Beginners

*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. We recommend that you consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications. For educational purposes only.