I’ve always had a soft spot for recipes that feel a little extra without actually being complicated. Just like any good relationship, there’s something comforting about knowing you can create something special without overthinking every step or ingredient. This very sentiment is what inspired Every Rose Has Its Hawthorn—a Valentine’s Day mocktail crafted to encapsulate love in all its layered, often messy, yet simplistic nature at heart.

Just as we witness the turning of the seasons in the world around us, I have come to realize that we experience changing seasons within us as well. In nature, winter is a time of retreat and rest. In this part of the world, everything becomes darker, colder, and less colorful. Though life is still bustling all around me, it becomes quieter and more subdued (just as I do). While I welcome the rest and reflection that winter invites, there are times when I feel like the cold darkness weighs on me, and feelings of hopelessness can ensnare me.* And though I understand that it is important to give yourself space to feel your feelings and not run away from discomfort, it is also important to give yourself some extra self-care during these times.

These days more and more folks are participating in Dry January. Whether it be a New Years resolution, a health reset after holiday indulgence, or a lifestyle shift, a month without alcohol can feel like a sacrifice of sorts. But does it have to? With the holidays now over and months to go before the return of the sun, it’s important to find ways of bringing celebration into our lives. Which is why we like to think of Dry January as a celebration. And what better way to celebrate then by making copious amounts of delicious mocktails to replace the boozy beverages we might be missing?

This blog is part of a 6-part series on recipes featuring our new line of organic flavor extracts. Stay tuned for more flavor inspiration coming soon!

With each added layer of clothing marking the days leading up to winter, there is little my bundled-up self wants to do besides sip on a piping hot beverage. Once my taste buds tire from drinking gallons of spiced apple cider and homemade chai, I tend to gravitate towards the famed and festive beverage synonymous with the holiday season: the one and only, peppermint mocha.

Each year, when I make my holiday gift list, I aim to meet a set of criteria. Offerings that are thoughtful, personal, and useful are amongst the most important to me. I have generally found that homemade gifts are more appreciated than things I can find in mass quantities at any big box store. Small-batch DIY gifts also allow customization, making them personalized for your beloved recipient. It can also help to keep waste out of landfills.

Once darkness falls and vampires begin emerging from their satin-lined coffins and werewolves serenade with their haunting howls, many of us are gearing up for our own traditions to celebrate this season of spooky. For me, the month of October tends to unleash a beast with a taste for leaving the real horror to the mess of my craft cabinet and kitchen countertops. After wrapping up the finishing touches on my annually elaborate DIY costume, it was time to dust off the trusty cauldron to craft for my ghoulish guests to sip on during our Halloween festivities. Since no spirits should be contained to cheaply-made plastic goblets filled with sickly sweet, boozy syrup, I concocted a bewitching mocktail recipe that will trick and treat anyone who dares take a sip into having a spooktacular evening—alcohol-free!  

Under the sweltering sun during the long, lazy days of summer, chances are you’ll find me on my patio, melting away with a good book in one hand and an ice-cold beverage in the other. Sipping a cold, creamy drink while lounging in the shade is something I cherish so much that my fridge always has a few options prepped and ready for whenever that cool-off craving strikes. When I’m not reaching for my go-to iced matcha latte or an herbal tea on the rocks, I’ve lately been whipping up batch after batch of a delightfully creamy, dreamy beverage that is as rich as it is refreshing—horchata!

Herbal oxymels are a staple ingredient in my kitchen. I often teach mocktail-making classes, where I share the many ways you can create tasty vinegar-based ingredients to make complex zero-proof drinks.. When I introduce students to oxymels, I pass around samples made of apple cider vinegar and honey. Students are amazed at how delicious they are – I hear lots of “mmm!” and “wow!” as they sip. But then I bring out my secret treasure, the grand reveal: a white wine vinegar and sugar oxymel. Students are shocked at how exquisite the flavor is. They ask for more. The bottle quickly disappears…

As someone who has spent the majority of my life proclaiming a distaste for baking, I have found myself hovering over my stand-mixer and setting the oven to 350º Fahrenheit a lot lately. My newfound bug for baking began with an attempt to perfect my favorite pizza dough recipe and has since turned into a full-fledged baking extravaganza. Although my overworked oven may not relate, my loved ones and coworkers with mouths full of homemade sweets don’t seem to mind my new hobby one bit! Now that I’ve come to grasp the basics of baking—with a few floury disasters sprinkled between—I’ve started experimenting by introducing unexpected flavors and textures into classic cookies, cakes, and confectioneries. My latest experimental success combined the blank canvas of the cookie world, sugar cookies, with the grassy-hued, umami-rich green tea we all know and love: matcha! 

Spring is here, at last, and the world is all a-shimmer with dew and last night’s frost. After a long winter of dark and cold, the earth has begun to stir again. There’s a palpable change, and we can all sense it, in the air, in the earth, in our bodies. Spring is a season of new beginnings, inspiration, a time to create and explore. As nature begins to flourish around us, now is the perfect time to rejuvenate ourselves in the same fashion as the beckoning meadows. 

In spring, I like to gather nettles and violets. Nettles for their wealth of vitamins and minerals, and the energy boost they provide after sleepy winter months. Violets for their flavonoids, mucilage, and diuretic properties. They also taste mild and delicious in infusion form, making them ideal additions to mocktails.

Around this time of year, my mom would start crafting her incredible herbaceous mocktails; drinks that are both refreshing and healthful. I have many fond memories of us staving off the heat with her creations. My mom is an absolute wizard when it comes to mixing ingredients to just the right proportion, guided purely by intuition. She (and now I, thanks to her influence) never really measured things. It was always “a splash of this,” “a sprinkle of that.” As a result, each drink was a little unique, but somehow always perfectly balanced.

With herbaceous mocktails, the trick is balancing the bitter with the sweet, adding just enough sugar to lift the flavors without overpowering them. It’s also important to find the right ratio of ingredients; some herbs have stronger flavor profiles than others, so finding the right balance can feel rather alchemical at times. 

Living in California as I do, tacos aren’t just for Tuesdays–they are a way of life. There are taco trucks on nearly every corner, each ready to provide you with their own particular take on carne asada, al pastor, and spicy pollo soft tacos. And requisite with every order, at least for me, is a tall icy glass of Agua de Jamaica.