Sleepy Girl Mocktail
Need help winding down at the end of the day? Or just want to get the best night of sleep you can? Try the sleepy girl mocktail! This tart and bubbly concoction is easy to make, made with simple ingredients, and will help you drift off to a great night’s sleep. Read below for all of the details on this drink, how to make the sleepy girl mocktail recipe, and if it’s a good fit for you!
Meet my tart and bubbly evening ritual!
After I gave up drinking a few years ago, I found myself wanting some fun beverages to fill the place of my nightly wine. And I did! Now, I enjoy delicious and fun mocktails and more functional drinks like this one or my sleepy tea on a nightly basis.
Like so many trendy recipes, this became really popular on TikTok initially when Calee Shea first posted about the combination of tart cherry juice and olipop. Then it went viral again after Gracie Norton posted about it and added in the magnesium powder.
I actually learned about using tart cherry juice for sleep a few years ago after Heartbeet Kitchen shared this pink moon milk sleep tonic, which is a great warm option for colder months.
💤 Sleep-friendly ingredients: Tart cherry juice and magnesium can help support better rest and sleep.
🫧 Satisfying fizz: Sparkling water adds the perfect bubbly finish that feels like a special drink, which can be especially helpful if you’re swapping it for booze.
🍒 Naturally sweet: No added sugars or syrups, though if the tart cherry isn’t sweet enough, you could always easily add some.
🌿 Feel-good ritual: A ritual is a great way to signal to yourself that it’s time to wind-down, cozy-in, and get ready for bed.
🕒 Ready in seconds: It’s so easy to make this, thankfully as I don’t want to be doing much at bedtime.
Adding this to my bedtime routine! –Meg
Ingredient Notes
You only need a few ingredients to make this sleepy drink: magnesium powder, tart cherry juice, and a soda or sparkling water.
- Cherry juice: Look for a tart cherry juice that is 100% juice. Typically, you’ll find this in the “natural” section of the shelf-stable juice section.
- Magnesium powder: Magnesium is thought to help promote relaxation, which is why it’s easy to find magnesium powders, gummies, and more! This cherry juice mocktail for sleep calls for magnesium powder, which you should be able to find in the supplement aisle of your local Whole Foods, coop, or on Amazon. I personally recommend a plain flavored powder, but you could also try some of the flavors if you prefer.
- Soda water: You have a few options when it comes to the bubbles! Soda water, or sparkling water works well, but you could also use tonic water or lemon soda. Some also use kombucha or a prebiotic soda like Poppi, which would add a different and sweeter flavor.
Why it Works
The viral drink is a simple combination of tart cherry juice and magnesium powder, both of which are thought to have properties to help promote sleep and relaxation. It’s topped off with soda water or your favorite soda.
While the results will of course vary, I do think it works for me – and whether that is partially placebo effect or not, I’m happy when I get a great night of sleep. It could also be the ritual aspect of it and the signal that it’s wind-down and relaxation time.
Sleepy Girl Mocktail Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: 1 serving 1x
- Category: Drink
Description
Need help winding down at the end of the day? Try the sleepy girl mocktail! This tart and bubbly drink is easy, tasty, and sleep promoting!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup tart cherry juice
- 1 serving/scoop magnesium powder
- soda or sparkling water, to top
- ice
- rosemary sprig for garnish
Instructions
- Add cherry juice and magnesium powder to a tall glass and stir to combine. (Some people like to use a hand held frother to mix really well.)
- Fill glass with ice and top off with soda and stir.
- Garnish with a fresh rosemary sprig.
Notes
- Nutrition: Nutrition facts do not include magnesium (calorie free) or soda.
- Ingredient notes: Different magnesium powders will have different serving sizes; please use the proper serving according to the variety you are using. I recommend a plain powder unless you want to experiment with different flavors. Prebiotic sodas like Olipop are commonly used, but soda water or sparkling water will also work. It really depends on how sweet you like your drinks. I liked the lemon lime olipop, but really prefer plain soda water for a tarter drink.
- Special tools: You don’t have to have it, but a hand held milk frother works really well to mix the magnesium into the cherry juice.
FAQs
According to plenty of people who have tried it online, YES! And both cherry juice and magnesium have some properties that could benefit sleep and relaxation. Cherry juice does have naturally occurring melatonin in it, so if melatonin helps you sleep, it would make sense that the sleepy mocktail would also work for you. But like anything, results will vary!
It really depends on how long you need to wind down, and how much you need to do in between the drink and your head hitting the pillow! I would start with about an hour before you go to bed and see how you feel.
Yes, you can make the sleepy mocktail without magnesium, but you will be missing out on the relaxation piece that the magnesium adds. You will still get the melatonin from the cherry juice, but if it’s hard for you to sleep due to stress or anxiety, the magnesium can help.
As with any supplement, you should check with your Doctor and/or medical team and do your own research. Both melatonin and magnesium affect people differently and can have negative interactions with medications, so it isn’t a good fit for everyone.
More Mocktail Recipes
If you like this recipe for sleepy girl mocktail, you may also like some of these other easy mocktail recipes:
- Pineapple Ginger Beer Mocktail
- NA Margarita Mocktail
- Cranberry Mocktail with Rosemary
- Mojito Mocktail
- Surely Wine (not a mocktail, but my favorite NA wine that won’t disrupt sleep like regular wine)
About the Author
Emily Dingmann is a recipe developer, nutrition expert, and founder of My Everyday Table. She specializes in creating easy, healthy recipes that help busy parents feed their families well every single day, without the stress. With a degree in Nutrition and almost 20 years of experience, Emily shares family-friendly meals that are practical, nourishing, and full of flavor. Learn more about Emily’s approach to everyday cooking and nutrition here.
Recipe, video, and photography by Clara-Jane Photography.
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Not sure if it helped with sleep but I like the way it tastes and it can’t hurt!
That tends to be my motto as well. 🙂
Adding this to my bedtime routine!
I was so curious about this and like it best with a ginger olipop. I need a little sweetness and the soda added the perfect amount.
Definitely going to give this a try. The link to the magnesium is going to magnesium citrate. You do mention to use magnesium glycinate; will this make a difference? Thanks-
Excited to try this recipe! 🙂
Yes! let me know what you think. I love the tart + bubbles combo, magnesium is an added bonus!