The sleepy girl mocktail, with the honest version built in

Editorial notice: This is an educational guide, not a product recommendation. PowderedPurple is not currently affiliated with any brand or retailer mentioned, no links here are affiliate links, and PowderedPurple does not earn commission from them.

The “sleepy girl mocktail” is tart cherry juice, a magnesium supplement and sparkling water. It is a pleasant evening ritual. This guide covers how to make it well, and is straight with you about what the ingredients are actually shown to do.

The base recipe

1. Tart cherry juice — roughly 60–120 ml. Use unsweetened concentrate diluted, or 100% juice. Sweetened cherry cordial is a different drink.
2. Magnesium — one serving of a powdered magnesium supplement, per its own label. Add to the juice and stir until fully dissolved before adding anything fizzy.
3. Sparkling water — top to taste, roughly 150–200 ml. Pour down the side of the glass to keep the bubbles.
4. Ice and a garnish — optional. A twist of lemon lifts the tartness.

The one technique that matters: dissolve the magnesium in the juice first. Added to sparkling water it clumps, and you get grit at the bottom instead of a smooth drink.

A lavender and valerian variation

For a botanical version: brew a strong lavender or valerian tea, cool it completely, and use it in place of some of the sparkling water. Lemon brightens the botanicals, which otherwise read as soapy to some palates. Valerian has a strong smell — use less than you think.

What the ingredients are, and are not, shown to do

This is the part most versions of this recipe skip.

• Tart cherry contains melatonin and has been studied for sleep, but studies are small and results inconsistent.
• Magnesium has well-documented roles in nerve and muscle function per MedlinePlus — Magnesium in diet. That is not the same as a demonstrated sleep effect.
• The combination has not been studied as a combination.

So: the individual ingredients are individually studied, the drink itself is not proven to treat insomnia, and nothing here should replace advice about a sleep problem. A calming pre-bed ritual may help some people for reasons that have little to do with the ingredients.

Cautions worth knowing

• Magnesium form matters. Citrate has a dose-dependent laxative effect — an unwelcome surprise in a bedtime drink. Glycinate is usually gentler.
• Supplemental magnesium is capped at 350 mg daily for adults (Institute of Medicine — Dietary Reference Intakes: Magnesium). Count this drink toward your daily total.
• Tart cherry is high in sorbitol, which can cause digestive upset in quantity.
• Pregnancy, medication or a diagnosed condition — particularly valerian, which interacts with sedatives. Check with a pharmacist first; NCCIH — Dietary and Herbal Supplements is a reasonable starting point.
• Kidney disease — do not add magnesium supplements without medical advice.

Related reading: magnesium supplement types.