The Viral Sleepy Girl Mocktail Recipe-My Wine Alternative

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Have you heard of the viral TikTok Sleepy Girl Mocktail? I’m obsessed and it’s my new favorite part of my nighttime routine. I can’t wait to tell you all the health benefits that come with this yummy drink! If you’re like me and tired of how that glass of wine affects your health and hoping to find a healthier way to relax in the evening, this sleepy girl mocktail recipe might just fit the bill! For a better night’s sleep and a tasty nightcap, read on to find out everything you need to know about this viral drink!

What Is A Sleepy Girl Mocktail?

The Sleepy Girl Mocktail consists of tart cherry juice, sparkling water and a scoop of magnesium powder. Its intent is to help improve sleep and relax the body. The combination of tart cherry juice and blue lemon Magnesi-Om is the key. However, the original recipe calls for the mixed berry flavor. I personally have not tried it so I can’t say which is better. 

I drink mine with a ton of crushed ice. I love that it’s tart and fizzy. Its sweetness is at a 3 on a 1-10 scale which suits me nicely.

You might be wondering where this viral recipe originated from and I must give credit where credit is due. From what I understand, it originated from TikTok health influencer, Calee Shea and became viral after Gracie Norton shared it on her TikTok. 

My Alcohol Journey:

Somewhere after having kids (13 years ago) I made great friends with wine. I enjoyed a couple of glasses anywhere from 2-4 nights a week. It was a relaxing ritual that made me really happy. Until it didn’t. Fast forward about 3 years ago and I stopped enjoying my wine nights. I had gotten into a terrible habit of snacking while drinking and gained almost 15 lbs. My cortisol levels were sky high, hormones were approaching the change and I was sleeping terribly. I was failing to feel the same excitement I had had years before. I knew it was time to let wine go. 

Refraining from drinking was a lot easier than I had expected. It was a great relief to be making better decisions for my body and I really enjoyed sleeping so much better and waking up feeling good. I think doing the right thing for myself trumped the habit and indulgence of the snacks and wine. Plus, cortisol is such an important hormone to pay attention to. It’s the “stress hormone” and can go into overdrive when one experiences an overload of stress for a prolonged period of time.

There are several indicators of having too much cortisol. One being excess belly fat and another issue is waking up at 3 am most nights. Cortisol should start pumping around 6-8 am in order to get you out of bed. This is normal. However, when you have too much, it starts to wake you up way too early. About a year ago I ditched coffee and alcohol among other lifestyle changes in order to lower my overproduction of cortisol. I learned a lot from the blog, Deliciously Organic. Check out THIS article for more about cortisol and how to curb overproduction. 

About 2 months ago I heard about a mocktail drink that was low in sugar, helped with sleep and supposedly tasted good. I had to try it. At that time my daughters and I were watching the Bachelorette and that triggered me to circle back to drinking and snacking on Monday nights. Nothing had changed, in fact my body’s reaction to alcohol seemed worse and my guilt over it made it unenjoyable. This prompted me to try the Sleepy Girl Mocktail with my snacks for Bachelor night. I wondered if the mocktail would quench my need minus the buzz of alcohol. Low and behold it did the trick and I was sold! I did not miss the alcohol at all and my snacking was way more controlled because alcohol wasn’t lowering my judgement. 

That’s my middle aged alcohol story and I have a feeling many of you can relate. I could talk about my journey with alcohol all day so leave me a comment if this is ringing a bell. I really feel so relieved and happy that cutting drinking out of my routine was so much easier than I expected. 

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Sleepy Girl Mocktail Ingredients:

Tart cherry juice is full of vitamins and minerals but more notable it is a great source for antioxidants. It has been known to help one recover from physical exertion and has anti-inflammatory properties. What makes it an obvious choice for this particular recipe is that it contains melatonin which is known as the “sleep hormone”! There isn’t a high concentration of melatonin but it’s definitely what makes tart cherry juice an obvious choice for this mocktail. It also is a great source of tryptophan which has sleep-inducing properties as well. Yep, that’s what’s in turkey and the reason all the old men in your family fall asleep after Thanksgiving dinner! Tryptophan is an essential amino acid that is converted into serotonin and then converted into melatonin. A few small studies show that tart cherry juice can improve sleep. 

Magnesium powder actually helps relax the muscles and has been known to improve sleep. It is a must-have mineral that should be taken daily as a dietary supplement. Magnesium is a nutrient that every cell in the body requires in order to function.

According to Moon Juice (my favorite source for magnesium), the best magnesium supplement is one that is highly bioavailable and easily absorbed in the gut, such as Magnesium Citrate, Magnesium Gluconate, and Magnesium Acetyl Taurinate. Each type of Magnesium affects the body differently.

• Citrate draws water into the intestines to support regularity.
• Magnesium Gluconate can help regulate blood pressure and cardiovascular function.
• Magnesium Acetyl Taurinate supports muscle relaxation and cognitive function.

I have taken magnesium for years to help keep things regular and improve sleep. In fact, a great way to up your magnesium levels is taking an epsom salt bath! Talk about relaxing your muscles! 

I recommend using Moon Juice’s Magnesi-Om Blue Lemon.

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Sparkling Water: I use Lacroix but many swear by using a prebiotic soda like Poppi or Olipop. Fizzy water is an absolute must because using all tart cherry juice would be way too sour plus even if there is no extra sugar added, the juice still has quite a lot of sugar and can spike blood sugar. 

Where to Find the Mocktail Ingredients?

Tart cherry juice can typically be found at your local grocery store. Make sure you find pure tart cherry juice with NO ADDED SUGAR. 

Magnesium powder can be found on Amazon or on the Moonjuice website. 

​Mocktail Tips:

• I like to drink mine in a wine glass. In fact, being the wine drinker that I was, I have a set of stemless, boring wine glasses and a set of large, purple glass wine glasses with a thin stem glasses. I use my fancy wine glass every time. I also found a few beautiful cocktail glasses at Anthropologie and use those occasionally as well. And yes I bought just one of several different collections. I think it’s really important you make this a special ritual. That’s what wine was to me. It was my form of self care so in order to find a replacement, it was important that I make the drink special. 
• I don’t typically use a magic bullet or frother but have used my frother and the foamy, frothy goodness is worth the effort. I have tried a cocktail shaker and while it gave more froth, it wasn’t worth the extra glass I had to clean. 
• You could add lemon or lime juice for extra vitamin C and more tartness. 
• I highly recommend going for the Moon Juice Magnesium-Om Blue Lemon magnesium powder. I believe it makes the drink extra special. I took one for the team and tried a more easily accessible and affordable magnesium powder, Calm (cherry flavored) and the mocktail was not good. I do think you could also use an unflavored magnesium powder and that would be better than Calm. I will say I hate the flavor of Calm. If you like it, I’m sure it would be a decent alternative. 
• I prefer to use unflavored soda water like Lacroix, Pellegrino or Perrier but many like to add a prebiotic soda like Olipop or Poppi. 
• Moon Juice has a brand new magnesium powder which contains a micro dose of melatonin. If you struggle with sleep, I think this would be a great product to try in your mocktail!
• Don’t forget a fun garnish like mint leaves or a sprig of rosemary! 

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How Long Does it Take for the Sleepy Girl Mocktail to Kick In?

I recommend making your drink about an hour before you go to bed. I can feel the relaxing effects immediately but that might be because the enjoyment and ritual of the drink lets my body know I’m done for the day. As far as knocking you out, it won’t be a dramatic need to get to sleep. 

I will say that this mocktail might be an acquired taste. The first time I tried it I thought it tasted different but intriguing. The 2nd night I liked it more and the 3rd night I was hooked and actually craved it all day. I’ve calmed down for the most part but I do look forward to having my “drink” almost every night. 

This tart cherry mocktail gets 2 thumbs up from me. Not only has it improved my sleep, it has been a tool to kick the wine habit. I believe it has also calmed my nervous system down and I love the ritual of it. If you try it out let me know! 

xx, Jenni

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