Rosemary Lime Mocktail

I'm going to try not to overstate how amazing this drink is and I could have just as easily called called it a Cucumber-Ginger Mocktail- just to give you an idea about what's involved. You will love it!

If you are looking to keep your wits about you this St. Patrick's Day you should give this Mocktail a sip! Just because it has wonderful veggies and herbs in it, I'm not going to pretend that it's a healthy drink but I will say that mocktails are healthier than cocktails!

The ginger is heating and a bit spicy but the cucumber is cooling. Such an interesting combination- says everyone that tried it!

For the March A4ML (Ayurveda For Modern Living) Newsletter I knew that I wanted to come up with a mocktail to go with the appetizers I featured. In the month of March, in Syracuse, NY, not only is green beer and St. Patrick's Day a big deal but also our SU Basketball team typically plays in the March Madness tournament (hopefully)! This is my effort to bring a little mindfulness to alternatives for drinking alcohol even though I think I'll need the luck of the Irish for that!

Rosemary Lime Mocktail

Ingredients

Start by making the Rosemary Simple Syrup so that it has time to infuse and then cool. See note at the end of the post for an alternative to simple syrup.

Rosemary Simple Syrup- yields 1 cup

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup sugar**

• 3 sprigs rosemary

Combine all three ingredients in a small sauce pan over medium heat. Bring to a boil and allow the sugar to dissolve. Remove from the heat, cover, and allow to rest for 30 minutes. Remove the sprigs of rosemary and allow to cool. Store in an airtight jar in the fridge.

This recipe will make 2 cocktails. To make the cocktail you'll need:

• 1/2 cup shredded cucumber

• 2 tsp. grated ginger (use less to decrease the spiciness)

• 1 whole lime juiced (about 1/4 cup)

• 4 tbsp. Rosemary simple syrup**

• 1 can Q Light Ginger Beer

• 2 slices of lime and 2 sprigs of rosemary for garnish

• Ice

Directions

First put some sugar on a small plate for rimming the glasses. Prepare your glasses by dipping the rim into the Rosemary Simple Syrup and then dip into the plated sugar. Let sit while you are preparing the cocktail and the sugar will crystalize on the edge of the glass as it dries.

1. Grate cucumber directly into the bowl or glass that you are going to use to muddle in. You don't want to lose any of that cooling cucumber juice.

2. Add grated ginger and lime juice. Muddle gently.

3. Fill both glasses with ice.

4. Carefully pour half the muddled mixture over the ice in each glass. You should end up with about 1/4 cup per glass.

5. Add the simple syrup- 2 tbsp. per glass

6. Split one can of ginger beer between the two glasses.

7. Stir

8. Spear a slice of lime with a sprig of rosemary for garnish.

9. Enjoy

Briefly, a summary of the ingredient's benefits- ayurvedically speaking of course.

Rosemary, lime, ginger and cucumber all have beneficial attributes but what about the sugar you ask!?!?

*Sugar- has the sweet taste which can be pacifying for Pitta Dosha types and is associated with positive emotions of happiness when eaten in appropriate amounts. Remember mom saying, "A spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down!" Truth!

**To make this recipe completely sugar free you could use rosemary infused honey to replace the simple syrup and omit rimming the glasses. Making rosemary infused honey can take more than a week so using it would take a little foresight but easy enough to do!

Ginger- Ginger is high in gingerol, a substance with powerful anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Look for a future post about ginger- there is so much to write about!

Rosemary- Warming and relaxing, it contains carnosic and rosmarinic acids that have powerful antibacterial, antiviral, and antifungal properties. Consuming rosemary regularly can potentially help lower the risk of infection and help the immune system fight infections.

Lime & Cucumber- the role of these two fruits (yes, cucumber is considered a fruit) is to complement and cool the spicy ginger! Both have antioxidants and drinking lime juice may improve immunity, reduce heart disease risk factors, prevent kidney stones, aid iron absorption, and promote healthy skin.

Happy March! I hope you enjoy this as much as I do :)