Carolyn J. Braden • 3 Minute Read
How to Make an Immune Boosting Elderberry Mocktail
If you haven’t tried anything elderberry yet, this is the year to do it! Elderberry syrup on it’s own tastes delicious (we love The Elderberry Co syrup!) but you can do lots of other things with it like make refreshing and delicious drinks. Inspired by a day of samplings at Whole Foods, we came up with our own version of an elderberry mocktail. It’s a special drink that your whole family can enjoy!
Elderberries should be cooked when making syrup
Why Elderberry Syrup?
I wrote an article about all the benefits of elderberry syrup (see it here on my website) and talked about how we sometimes make our own or get some amazing elderberry products from The Elderberry Co. (Check out the Elderberry Co in New Albany Indiana….but the owner, Jenny, ships all over, here using my link!).
If you don’t have time to read my other article, basically elderberries are tiny dark purple berries that can help boost your immune system, helping you ward off the sickie ickies that seem to happen during every cold season.
Elderberry syrup is great for immune system support
Elderberry for Weight Loss?
After I wrote the article about the benefits of elderberry syrup, Fox News wrote an article featuring elderberry as being a potential weight management tool and about other elderberry health benefits. There was a study conducted in 18 overweight adults where they drank 12 ounces of elderberry juice each day or a placebo.
The people that were drinking the elderberry syrup (they made no diet changes) showed "significantly increased amounts of beneficial gut bacteria, including firmicutes and actinobacteria, and decreased amounts of harmful bacteria, such as bacteroidetes” and an improved metabolism and better blood glucose levels. There were many other great things that showed up in the study and you can read the full article here.
My husband and I both love this elderberry mocktail
Why I Consume Elderberry
While I can’t guarantee the same results as indicated in the Fox News article, I do know from my own personal experience with elderberry consumption and I can attest to the fact that I get sick less often.
Anytime I feel weird, like when I feel a sinus infection brewing, I consume my 1-3 tablespoons of elderberry syrup or drink my elderberry mocktail and feel better the next day. My husband is the same. Elderberry syrup is traditionally made with elderberries, local honey, clove, ginger and water and it’s kind of like a sweet and delicious magic potion, in my opinion.
See my quick 1-minute review of The Elderberry Co in my video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden:
The Elderberry Mocktail Recipe
Now for the easy elderberry mocktail recipe. We either make our own elderberry syrup so I can control what I add, which are organic ingredients (I love the recipe from Wellness Mama here) or I get it from The Elderberry Co., which uses organic ingredients too.
Jenny Watson of The Elderberry Co also sells elderberry syrup kits, so you can easily make your own at home using local honey. You do not have to consume elderberry syrup made with local honey (honey produced by bees in your area) but it can help your immune system with local allergens.
Dried elderberries
I even got some of my family to start consuming elderberries. You can order gummies from The Elderberry Co, syrup, elderberry syrup kits, magnesium balm, tallow balm (I ordered some!) and more. Make this for your whole family and they will love it.
I always felt special when I got a Shirley Temple drink as a kid and this elderberry mocktail is even better for you! Kids will ask you for it the way I asked my grandma for a Shirley Temple. My elderberry mocktail is fizzy, fun and healthy!
Elderberry Mocktail Ingredients
Watch me make the Elderberry Mocktail in my 1-minute video below or via my YouTube channel @carolynjbraden.
The Elderberry Mocktail Ingredients
2-3 tablespoons elderberry syrup (get it from The Elderberry Co…it’s DELICIOUS…and you can consume it on it’s own…adults should have about 1-3 tablespoons, kids can have 1-3 teaspoons so if making this drink for kids, you can add 1 tablespoon elderberry syrup)
½ bottle (3.4 ounces or use the whole bottle…whatever works for you) of Fever Tree Light Premium Tonic Water (get it on Amazon, at Whole Foods, Walmart, or use a light tonic water of your choice….light means it has less calories than traditional tonic water)
Adding the low calorie tonic water to the elderberry syrup
How-To:
Spoon 2-3 tablespoons of elderberry syrup into a glass. Add ice if you wish.
Top off the glass with a ½ bottle of the tonic water or pour in the whole thing.
Drink and enjoy. It’s light, refreshing AND BOOSTS YOUR IMMUNE SYSTEM!
The Elderberry Mocktail
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Carolyn J. Braden is the owner of Carolyn’s Blooming Creations is a regular contributor and editor for CBC. She has been featured in numerous media publications such as InStyle Magazine, on HGTV, on Bustle.com, and more. She is the author of the books Georgia McMasters in Amethyst Lake Cemetery, How To Be Yourself: 3 Ways To Help You Being You, and the illustrator for the children’s book Bridging Connections. She is a former classroom teacher that now dedicates her life to educating others on how to live their most healthy, creative and happy life. Learn more about her visiting our About Us page.