The name of this celebratory drink should give some indication of what it is usually used for: Celebrating the passionate holiday of
Midsummer! In
Pagan circles and other
Earth spirituality communities,
nature-oriented celebrations are very common this time of year, and one thing that is an absolute MUST at such a gathering is SOMETHING TO DRINK. This colorful
punch incorporates some wonderful
midsummer herbs and
fruits for particular
solstice energy:
Mint leaves are used (and both
peppermint and
spearmint are
love herbs, one of the main themes of
Midsummer), and
passion fruit, which has a tangy kick that should inspire the usual
lusty summer merriment.
Ingredients:
Directions:
Bruise the mint leaves with the sugar in a mortar and pestle. Transfer the mix to your punch bowl. Pour seltzer water and fruit juice over the leaves. Squeeze in the juice of the lime. Add ice cubes and garnish with passionflowers.
Substitute club soda or sparkling water for seltzer water if desired.
One note for serving: You should NEVER get passionflowers that have been grown non-organically, because they will almost definitely have chemicals on them that you do NOT want near your food! If you have no way to acquire passionflowers (or even if you do and you just like this idea), I might suggest investing in some rose-shaped cake pans--they're usually in a set of four or six and make cupcake-size cakes--and filling them with water and freezing to make big pretty flowery ice cubes. You can even sprinkle some mint leaves in there to freeze into the cubes. It looks beautiful, but believe me, it won't last long under the hot sun!
Yield: Serves 8 to 10
Source: Paraphrased from Jamie Wood, The Wicca Herbal
Use for: Litha
Pagan recipes