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May is Mental Health Awareness Month, and tonight we are exploring something that often gets left out of Western mental health conversations: the role of ritual, presence, and community in maintaining wellness. The Mediterranean cultures we are honoring tonight—Lebanon, Morocco, Turkey—understood centuries ago what neuroscience is only now confirming: mental health is not just about what happens inside your head. It is about how you connect with others, how you slow down enough to be present, and how you build rituals that ground you when everything else feels chaotic. In Lebanon, the arak table can last four or five hours, and that is not excessive. That is intentional. You eat slowly, you add water to your glass slowly, you talk and laugh and argue and listen, and by the end of the night, you have been held by your community in a way that makes everything else feel more manageable. In Morocco, the tea ceremony is an act of care. You pour from a height to create foam, you serve three rounds with specific meanings, and you make your guest feel seen and valued through this ritual. In Turkey, the raki sofrası is a sacred social space where the table becomes the center of the world, and rushing it would be disrespectful to everyone gathered. These are mental health practices disguised as drinking traditions, and tonight we are honoring them by slowing down, being present, and remembering that wellness is something we build together, not something we achieve alone.
WHAT YOU'LL TASTE
Cocktail 1: Lebanese Arak & Pomegranate
🥃 Alcoholic: Arak, Fresh Pomegranate Juice, Fresh Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, Ice-Cold Water (for louche effect)
🌿 Non-Alcoholic: Ritual Gin Alternative (or Seedlip Spice 94), Fresh Pomegranate Juice, Fresh Lemon Juice, Simple Syrup, Sparkling Water
Garnish: Pomegranate arils, fresh mint sprig
Cocktail 2: Moroccan Mint & Spice (Moroccan Mule)
🥃 Alcoholic: Vodka or White Rum, Fresh Lime Juice, Ginger Syrup, Muddled Fresh Mint, Moroccan Mint Tea (cooled), Ginger Beer
🌿 Non-Alcoholic: Seedlip Garden 108, Fresh Lime Juice, Ginger Syrup, Muddled Fresh Mint, Moroccan Mint Tea (cooled), Ginger Beer
Garnish: Fresh mint sprig, candied ginger, lime wheel
Cocktail 3: Turkish Delight (Raki with Rose & Pomegranate)
🥃 Alcoholic: Raki, Fresh Pomegranate Juice, Fresh Lemon Juice, Rose Water Simple Syrup, Ice-Cold Water (for louche)
🌿 Non-Alcoholic: Ritual Gin Alternative (or Seedlip Spice 94), Fresh Pomegranate Juice, Fresh Lemon Juice, Rose Water Simple Syrup, Sparkling Water
Garnish: Dried rose petals, pomegranate arils, lemon twist
THE CULTURAL STORIES
Lebanese Arak & Pomegranate — The Ritual of Slowing Down: Arak is the Levantine spirit that has been produced in Lebanon, Syria, and Palestine for thousands of years. It is an anise-flavored spirit made from grapes, and when you add ice-cold water, it turns milky white in a process called the louche. But here is what matters for mental health: arak is never consumed quickly. It is served during long mezze meals where family and friends gather for hours, eating small plates, talking, and being present with each other. You add the water slowly. You sip slowly. You eat, you laugh, you argue about politics or family or nothing in particular, and the entire ritual is designed to keep you at the table, connected to the people around you. In a world that glorifies productivity and speed, the Lebanese arak table says: slow down, you are exactly where you need to be, and the people at this table matter more than whatever else you think you should be doing. That is a mental health practice. That is community care. Pomegranate has been cultivated in the Levant for over five thousand years, and tonight we are combining it with arak to honor ingredients and traditions that understood wellness long before Western psychology gave it a name.
Moroccan Mint & Spice — The Ritual of Hospitality as Care: Moroccan mint tea—called "atay"—is not just a drink. It is the cornerstone of Moroccan hospitality and an act of care. When you enter a Moroccan home, you are offered tea before anything else, and refusing it is considered rude because you are refusing to be cared for. The tea ceremony has specific steps: you brew it strongly with Chinese gunpowder green tea, fresh mint, and sugar. You pour it from a height to create foam. You serve it in three rounds with a saying: the first glass is gentle as life, the second is strong as love, and the third is bitter as death. This ritual takes time. It requires presence. It says to your guest: you matter enough for me to slow down and do this properly. Research shows that one of the strongest protective factors against depression and anxiety is feeling seen and valued by others. The Moroccan tea ceremony is a research in practice, performed daily in homes across North Africa for centuries. Tonight we are building a cocktail around that mint tea tradition, adding the ginger and spice that also define Moroccan flavor, and honoring the idea that making time for someone—really making time, not just squeezing them into your schedule—is one of the most powerful forms of care we can offer.
Turkish Delight — The Ritual of Sacred Social Space: Raki is Turkey's national spirit, and drinking it is a social ritual that happens around a table laden with mezze—small plates of cheese, olives, seafood, and vegetables. The Turkish word for this gathering is "raki sofrası," which translates to "raki table," and it is considered a sacred social space. The table is where you talk about everything that matters. The table is where disagreements get aired and resolved. The table is where loneliness cannot survive because you are surrounded by people who choose to show up for you. Mental health research increasingly shows that loneliness and social isolation are as harmful to your health as smoking fifteen cigarettes a day. The raki sofrası is the antidote to that isolation. It is the insistence that we are not meant to do life alone, that gathering is not frivolous but necessary, and that being present with each other around food and drink is how we stay human. Rose water and pomegranate are deeply embedded in Turkish cuisine—they appear in Turkish delight candy, in desserts, in savory dishes, and in drinks. Tonight, we are combining them with raki to create something that honors Turkish ingredients and traditions while reminding us that sweetness, beauty, and care are not luxuries. They are requirements for a life worth living.
EVENT DETAILS
📍 Location: 821 E. Washington Avenue, 3rd Floor, Madison, WI 53703
🕕 Time: 6:30 PM - 8:00 PM (75 minutes)
🎟️ Cost: FREE (limited to 30 guests)
📋 Registration: Required via Luma
Each cocktail is presented with both alcoholic and non-alcoholic versions side-by-side. Professional photography will document the evening. Light bites may be provided. This is an intimate, educational experience for adults 21+ (or 18+ for NA-only attendees).
Reserve your seat. Wellness is built at tables like this.