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Drink Recipes for Your Lammas Day Feast

Lammas, also known as Lughnasadh, is the seventh spoke along the Wheel of the Year. Celebrated around August 1, Lammas honors the first harvest of the year. In her book Practical Magic: A Beginner’s Guide to Crystals, Horoscopes, Psychics, and Spells, author Nikki Van De Car writes, “It is a sign that the hot days of summer are finally coming to an end and the bounty we have worked so hard all year to ensure has finally arrived.”

Lammas is also a time to reflect on your relationships. Lammas traditionally “was also a time for trial marriages: Tailteann marriages were arranged marriages that were given a provisional period of a year and a day—if the marriage was successful after that, great. If not, it was dissolved on the Hills of Separation (actual hills that stand near where the games were traditionally held) as if it had never been.”

In preparation for Lammas we are excited to bring you two exclusive drink recipes, plus a love spell, from Nikki Van de Car’s forthcoming Potions: A Guide to Cocktails, Tinctures, Tisanes, and Other Witchy Concoctions, on sale August 23rd and available for pre-order at your favorite bookseller! May these special potions spark connection, love, and abundance.

 

Sparkling Rhubarb Apple

Apples have a long history in love magic. They symbolize con­nection, fertility, and abundance.

4 ounces natural apple juice

2 teaspoons Rhubarb-Infused Simple Syrup

½ teaspoon Potent Rhubarb Shrub

¼ teaspoon Loving Bitters

Seltzer

Gin (optional)

 

To a collins glass filled with ice, add the first four ingredients. Top with seltzer and spike with gin if desired. This light, fruity drink hearkens back to celebratory sparkling apple cider that perhaps we would enjoy at holidays when the grown-ups drank wine or champagne. As you sip it, let the magic of your childhood self bubble forth, brimming with joy in simple things.

Pro-Tip from RP Mystic: Recipes to make your own Rhubarb-Infused Simple Syrup, Potent Rhubarb Shrub, and Loving Bitters can all be found in Potions, available for pre-order now.

 

 

Juniper Rose Kombucha

This kombucha is layered with flavors and intentions, offering you ample opportunities to infuse loving intentions and mindful magic into your potion.

1 batch Basic Kombucha

2 tablespoons dried roses

2 tablespoons juniper berries

 

Decant 7 cups of kombucha into a jar or jars, leaving just a little space at the top of the jar to boost carbonation. Add a total of 2 tablespoons of dried roses and 2 tablespoons of dried juniper berries to the kombucha. (You can find these either online or at some health food stores.)

As you add your roses, think about the gentle sweetness of love, the sense of peace and comfort it can bring. Think about how treasured love can make you feel and the way you treasure others—and yourself.

As you add your juniper ber­ries, think about the brightness of love. Those who truly love us can see things about us we hide from everyone else, including ourselves. And those we truly love value what we have to give them. Giving and receiving love energize us, bringing a sense of lightness and joy.

Seal the jar, and swirl it gently to mix your herbs together, blend­ing the complementary sides of love. Prepare your next batch of kombucha, as you allow this loving batch to rest in the refrig­erator for one week. At the end of the week, carefully unscrew it, and take a taste. If the flavor and carbonation levels are what you want them to be, strain your kombucha into bottles. If not, let it sit for a day or two longer.

Pro-Tip from RP Mystic: A recipe to make your own Basic Kombucha can be found in Potions, available for pre-order now.

 

 

Love Spell

Bottle spells are an old form of hoodoo magic, a spiritual practice created by enslaved Africans in the South and the Caribbean. This bottle spell is not hoodoo proper, but it is inspired by it. Use an empty bottle or jar, and begin by placing small items in it that represent the kind of love you want to invite into your life. You might add a feather to represent a light, fun love. You might add an acorn to symbolize a love that will grow strong. Or perhaps you could write your specific intentions on a piece of paper, fold it up toward yourself three times (or a multiple of three), and then place it in your jar.

Once you’ve added your desired items, pour honey over them— just enough to cover—then add some red wine to fill the jar. Seal it and shake it well, coating all the items with honey and wine.

Place a small candle, like a tea light or votive, atop your jar. Anoint the sides of the candle with ylang-ylang, jasmine, rose, or patchouli essential oils, and gently rub a drop of the same oil over your heart. Light the candle, and then stare at the flame, allowing its fire to spark your heart. Allow the intentions from within your jar to drift up into the candle and alight within you as well.

 

 

Meet The Author: Nikki Van De Car

Nikki Van De Car is a blogger, mother, writer, crafter, and lover of all things mystical. She is the author of ten books on magic and crafting, including Practical Magic and The Junior Witch’s Handbook, and the founder of two popular knitting blogs. Nikki lives with her family in Hawaii.

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