I Tried the Internet-Famous ‘Sleepy Girl Mocktail’

I, for one, am not participating in Dry January. I totally respect the tradition for those who feel like they need to take a break from alcohol after the holiday season, but to me, the dead of winter is not the best time to stop drinking for a month. I’ll cut back on my evening post-workout wine consumption once there’s enough daylight to justify an activity other than sitting on my couch with a book.

That doesn’t mean I don’t still need an alcohol-free evening a few times a week, though, and those nights are when I consider shaking up a mocktail. I’m intrigued by the fancy-looking mocktails I see on social media that boast a long list of ingredients, including zero-ABV spirits, but most nights, I just don’t have it in me to make something that complicated. That’s why I was so drawn to the sleepy girl mocktail.

The recipe for the sleepy girl mocktail was originally posted by TikTok user Calee Shea early last year, but another creator, Gracie Norton, popularized it with a video posted a few months later. The concoction is quite simple: tart cherry juice, magnesium powder and prebiotic soda or sparkling water.

In quest of a good night’s sleep, I decided to try the mocktail myself. As a fan of anything tart, including but especially cherries, I felt like I would enjoy the drink, even if it technically didn’t help me sleep better, although some research indicates that this combo of ingredients could actually be helpful for sleep. And I figured that at the very least, I might benefit from the placebo effect.

The Recipe

½ cup tart cherry juice
1 tablespoon magnesium powder
Carbonated water or prebiotic soda

Most of the cherry juice you’ll find in stores is tart, but make sure you’re not getting a sweetened variety, as sugar has been shown to disrupt the quality of your sleep. After you secure the juice, it’s time to snag some magnesium powder, which you can find at a supplement store or online. Some magnesium powders are flavored; others are not. The flavored varieties tend to skew sweet, and the ones I’ve tasted can be rather artificial-tasting, but that covers up the flavor of the unflavored magnesium, which has a slightly bitter, fishy note to it. It’s not exactly pleasant, but when you combine it with other ingredients, it’s easier to consume.

Finally, grab some carbonated water or prebiotic soda. Personally, I prefer plain sparkling water because most prebiotic sodas taste too strong for my taste, but choose what you like.

The Flavor

Would this drink taste better without the magnesium powder? Maybe! Probably, even. But to me, the flavor of the magnesium wasn’t too strong, with the tartness of the cherry juice hiding the worst of its sins. Tart cherry juice can have a strong, pucker-inducing flavor, which is why cutting it with something bubbly is a good idea. I went kind of heavy on the sparkling water, which resulted in a milder taste, but it ended up being a lot of liquid to drink before bed, so that probably wasn’t the smartest move.

Overall, the sleepy girl mocktail tasted good, though if I were in it for the flavor alone, I’d probably skip out on the magnesium powder.

The Results

About an hour after I finished the mocktail, I started to feel sleepy, but I also drank it alongside a burger and fries, so that may have something to do with the drowsiness. I did feel like I had a particularly good sleep, managing to stay asleep throughout the night, and I woke up feeling refreshed. I sleep relatively easily anyway, so I can’t necessarily attribute my night of rest to the drink itself, but it certainly didn’t seem to hurt.

So, will I make it again? Despite my night of decent sleep, I probably won’t copy the exact recipe again, as I didn’t really think the off taste of the magnesium was worth it. That being said, drinking a glass of tart cherry juice and sparkling water before bed every night actually sounds really nice, so it’s something I probably will work into my routine—even if I enjoy it after a couple of glasses of wine.

Samantha Maxwell is a food writer and editor based in Boston. Follow her on Twitter at @samseating.