The mysterious moon pays us a visit each and every night; even on nights when we can’t see her, she is merely hiding, playing her month-long game of peek-a-boo.  She is the consummate coquette, the cool and shimmering goddess, so full of secrets, but she will share them with those who will open their hearts to listen.

Charging water with moonlight by letting it sit out under the full moon is a traditional way of gathering some of the moon’s powerful feminine energy for use in spells or for personal centering.  Here at the Cocktail Coven, I prefer to infuse gin with the silvery rays of the moon, though any clear spirit would do.  I call it Moonshyne with a “y” to distinguish it from the stuff my grandpappy hid from the revenuers.  ‘Tis powerful stuff!

My latest batch of Moonshyne started as Brockmans gin, a spirit well-suited to this early summer time of year as it is very berry-forward, full of juicy blackberry and blueberry notes.  It comes in an opaque black bottle, however, so I needed to transfer it to a clear one in order to receive the moonbeams.

The procedure is simplicity itself:  put a clear container of the liquid you wish to charge in a place where it will be exposed to the moonlight.  If you set it out under a full moon, one night should be sufficient, but depending on the phase, I would leave it an extra night or two to make certain of its potency.  Drinking your Moonshyne will deepen your connection with the moon and the goddess and can be incorporated into various rituals where these energies are appropriate.

I have two suggested cocktails for this elixir:

Lunatic’s Tonic

2.5 oz Moonshyne (Brockmans gin in this instance)
6.8 oz tonic water (I use the small bottles of Fever Tree which are 6.8 oz)
Berries

Pour gin in a highball glass with ice, add tonic water and garnish with a skewer threaded with berries and use this to stir.

Moonshyne Martini

3 oz Moonshyne (Brockmans gin in this case)
1 oz Dolin Blanc vermouth
(this is a sweet white vermouth – different from the French dry – could also use Lillet or Cocchi Americano)
3 dashes orange bitters
lemon peel

Pre-chill a cocktail glass by filling it with ice and water.  Pour the Moonshyne, vermouth and bitters in a glass with ice and stir clockwise until very cold while reciting an ode to the moon.  Pour out the ice water from the cocktail glass and strain cocktail into the pre-chilled glass.  Twist the lemon peel over the surface to release the oils and drop it in.