Raspberry Hibiscus Elixir with Sage Notes

This shamanic drink will have you nesting with perfect strangers like you're long time moondrunk warbuddy Pinochle partners, purring like cats who adopt baby rabbits with their six fuzzy nipples, and toasting to the Indian medicine men of the early American frontier like they done gone and saved your first born. With your glass held high and mighty, libate the living and the dead. Imbibe in the delicious doowop tralalas and the clucky undertones of the Waltzing Raspberry Lush. Its transcendent overtures of radiant post-apocalyptic zen animalism will charm the pants off of you.

Hibiscus Sun Tea and Honey Sage Tonic:

Hibiscus: lowers cholesterol, helpful in weight loss, a diuretic (helps in cases of fluid retention), soothes stomach and respiratory inflammation, a mild laxative, and astringent (dissolves phlegmatic conditions due to allergies, colds, and sinus congestion). Hibiscus is used in traditional impotence remedies for men. Side effects for men may include prolonged erections and multiple orgasms. Just saying, buyer beware.

Sage: analgesic (pain relieving), diaphoretic (increases perspiration), astringent (breaks up congestion), rejuvenative (anti-aging), high in antioxidants (fights free radicals)

Lemongrass: opens psychic awareness/intuition, relieves stomachache, slightly lowers blood pressure, anti-plogistic (fever reducing), and may help to relieve tension headaches

Chamomile: mild sedative, calms and tones nervous system



Instructions:

* First brew a sun tea with six Passion Tazo tea bags (or a hibiscus and lemongrass infusion of approximately 4 oz of dried herbs) and 3 Tazo Chamomile Calm tea bags for a whole afternoon (approximately six hours in one gallon of spring water). Refrigerate.

* Next, add 4 stems of dried white sage to 2 pints of water in medium sauce pan.

* Simmer on low heat covered with a lid until the liquid is reduced by half. Strain.

* Add 1/4-1/2 cup clover honey. Dilute 1 part spring water to one part sage reduction. Cool mixture.

* Combine sage honey tea with hibiscus chamomile sun tea to make a medicinal tonic.

* To make it a mild cocktail: add 1-2 ounces of Mathilde's Raspberry Framboise to 2 ounces of combined tea in a chilled glass.

And now you have your self a Waltzing Raspberry Lush! A Pandora special. Especially lovely after a day of readings and talking with dead people. If you skip the Raspberry liqueur, you can add fresh ripe raspberries and a sprig of spearmint.



Other potential drink names that are coming to me but may already exist somewhere: The Diaspora, The Diaphanous Punk, Punch N' Judy, Gypsy Thieves, The Rabbi's Razor, The Dirty Priest, Primping Rituals of Animals...I could go on all night.