3 of Astari’s Favorite Witching Season Libations

(From the notes of Astari, the Witch of Whimsy)

Astari doesn’t bother much with pumpkin spice lattes. But seasonal potions? Those she will always stop her quill for—especially the kind that glow in lantern-light, taste of harvest secrets, and leave you wondering whether you should start writing poetry to the moon.

Here are three of her favorite autumn concoctions.

Two are safe for young spellcasters. One requires proper identification and an iron stomach. All are suitably strange for October.

1. Lantern Glow Tonic (mocktail)

Bright, citrusy, sparkling—like drinking jack-o’-lantern mischief.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup fresh orange juice

• 1/4 cup sparkling water (optional)

• Spoonful of cherry juice or grenadine

• Optional: orange slice to garnish

Directions
Choose a clear glass. Drizzle in the syrupy red liquid first. Pour in the juice and sparkling water and admire the layers. Then, stir until the drink turns a deep orange, like the magic lanterns that line the paths of the VelvetEmerald Forest. Float an orange slice like a little raft in the orange sea. Best consumed while watching a shadow-puppet show.

2. Raven’s Breath Fizz (mocktail)

For dramatic storytelling, midnight giggles, and conversations with the cat who “definitely just spoke.”

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup (4 oz) blackberry juice -or- dark grape juice

• 1/4 cup (2 oz) lemon-lime soda or ginger ale

• Splash of lime juice

• Frozen blackberries or blueberries for garnish

Directions
Pour juice over ice, add soda, then finish with a tart splash of lime. Watch the fizz rise like smoke from a cauldron. Garnish with a handful of chilled berries tumbling like night-stones into the glass. Sip slowly while plotting Halloween costumes you’ll never admit to out loud.

3. The Hollow’s Kiss (cocktail)

For bold confessions, candlelit schemes, and sparks that never quite fade.

Ingredients

• 2 oz spiced rum or whiskey

• 1 oz apple cider

• 1 oz pomegranate juice

• Dash of bitters

• Garnish: dried apple slice or cinnamon stick

Directions
Shake ingredients with ice until the potion turns cloudy and cold. Strain into a short glass over fresh cubes. Garnish with a dried apple slice, the edges curled like an old spell parchment. Best paired with thunder, eyeliner smudges, and the smell of wet leaves.

A Final Note from Astari

These potions may leave you buzzing, giggling, or strangely compelled to dance in a kitchen lit only by pumpkin glow.

Experiment freely. Substitutions are allowed, but beware: your version might sprout an unexpected fragrance or refuse to be drunk until you whisper its name three times.

And remember, stir counterclockwise. Always.