Sage, orange & aronia mocktail recipe

Firstly - fruit machines!

Most importantly, the abundance of fruit-based concoctions is a plus in our book. Certainly we're among these annoying (until you become one....) people who like to start the day with a gingery juice, breakfast on an açai bowl, and make a fruit salad for dessert after our salad lunch. However, even we have to admit that it brings up new challenges. For instance, as pleasant as it might be for a day or two, you don't want your entire life to turn into one long blur of fruit. That is to say, you start to try and make each fruity dish or drink in your day distinctive.  Meanwhile, this is something that only heightens if you are looking to reduce your intake of alcohol and to replace them with something else that marks the moment in a similar way that a wee drinkie-poo does. That is to say, we will always love a good bottle of red wine enjoyed with friends at the weekend. But when those treats begin to turn into coping strategies to get through most days, we know it's time to look elsewhere for relief and pleasure. All of this is to say that this mocktail recipe was refreshing and very welcome. For example, the addition of sage matures the tried-and-true combination of orange and lemon. Further, we don't know about you, but there isn't much sage can do wrong in our book. After all, its musky, slightly bitter flavour awakens and encompasses.

Some star ingredients in this orange cocktail

Erbology Organic Aronia Berry Shots and Sea Buckthorn Berry Shots add subtlety and complexity of flavour, as well as a real boost of nutrients to this orange cocktail. More on this in a bit! Finally, cinnamon in combination with the other ingredients really serves to distinguish this mocktail from your basic juices and smoothies, even if you don't regularly make basic anything! In conclusion, this is a mixture you will feel right at home sipping while red-lipsticked, high-heeled, surrounded by dimmed lights and the welcome erosion of the day's issues and banalities.

Sage health benefits

In addition, sage health benefits are numerous. For example, sage contains over 160 different polyphenols. That is to say, these are plant-based chemicals which function as antioxidants within your body. Antioxidants help your body fight the free radical damage. Further, several of these antioxidants are unique to sage.(1) Meanwhile, sage is also thought to have effective antimicrobial properties. That is to say, several studies have shown sage to be a great fighter against bacteria, fungi, and other microbes which erode dental health.(2)(3)(4)

... and aronia and sea buckthorn berries aid wellbeing

Certainly aronia berries, or chokeberries, also contain a remarkably high concentration of polyphenols, especially anthocyanins and phenolic acids.(5) In other words, research has looked at how these disinfect the bloodstream and the body.(6)(7)(8) In the same vein, the polyphenols in aronia berries have been shown to protect the body from the cellular damage caused by carcinogens found in alcohol.(9) In short, yet another reason to resort to this alcohol-free orange cocktail if you're feeling the negative effects of too many nights out. Further, there is a rare concentration of omega-7 found in sea buckthorn berries. Certainly, this essential fatty acid is rarely found in plants,but helps fight the harmful effects of the metabolic syndrome. Moreover, it keeps our mucous membranes healthy.(10)(11)

Related reading

Aronia health benefits: From Jicarilla to modern days

Forget Red Bull, sea buckthorn’s what really gives you wings

Bergamot health benefits: A Mediterranean gem