How the Sleepy Girl Mocktail Got Me Through Damp January

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Let’s be real—January is no one’s favorite month (sorry, January babies). But as it’s the first month of the year, it has one thing going for it: It’s the perfect time to reflect and reset. 

Going into 2024, I didn’t plan to evaluate my drinking habits. A few friends of mine have gushed about the benefits of doing Dry January, and as I didn’t have any plans for the next week (other than sitting in my apartment and binge watching HBO's Girls), I decided to partake. 

As it turns out, reaching for a glass of wine in the evening can become a ritual you look forward to without really realizing it. Like clockwork, I found myself just wanting something to sip on before turning in for the night. I didn’t have much mocktail experience, so I didn’t really know where to start—but spending enough time on social media and staying decently caught up with lifestyle trends, I had heard of the Sleepy Girl Mocktail. Knowing I could easily pick up the ingredients at my local Trader Joe’s, I deemed it my go-to Mocktail of the Month. 

The drink originally went viral on Tiktok in March 2023, and the hype hasn’t died down since. One of the first videos about it posted by wellness influencer @gracie_norton now has over 106,000 likes, and a search for “sleepy girl mocktail” on the app gets you all kinds of results—from people giving recommendations on their favorite sparkling water to sharing how it impacted their sleep. It’s gotten coverage from all kinds of outlets, from the New York Times to People. 

While the buzz around the drink made me pretty confident that it would do what it claims, it’s difficult to not be at least a little skeptical when it comes to trying out any internet trend. I kept my expectations