95% of our ads were rejected for "promoting alcohol". I would of course appeal the decision, but I would get notifications that the appeal was rejected and my ads were still not running.
ASIDE: The fact that we were able to raise the money we did without any ads was truly impressive. It speaks to how great our community is; everyone worked so hard to help us get the word out.
Fast forward to now! I quit my day job last month so I could give my projects (like this one!) the focus and energy they need to thrive. This means I had time to do things like getting set up to sell our products on Facebook and Instagram. I was feelings so energized and optimistic!
AND THEN. After spending a several days setting everything up, I woke up to this:
I can't even explain how frustrated I was, but I dutifully clicked through the appeal process and typed out an explanation that our entire brand was not-alcoholic, and that none of our products or recipes promoted the sale of alcohol.
The next day I got this:
Honestly, I cried.
Then I got a tip from a friend about how to get someone from FB on chat support to try to work these sorts of things out. After -- no joke -- two hours of cyclical and confusing conversation, the person I spoke with said they would escalate it for me.
Two days later, I got this:
SO GOOD RIGHT?? But then the next morning I got this:
I of course appealed AGAIN, then got this:
And it's not even just our drinks. Within two more days, a third of our Tarot art prints had also been taken down.
Every time I would get it sorted, things would get flagged again and I'd have to start all over from scratch (apparently it was not possible to put a note on our account??).
After talking to a few different people who work in digital marketing, we had to accept that this was going to keep happening and that it would hinder our ability to sell on Facebook or Instagram or be able to advertise our products basically at all.
So we decided we needed to change our name.
We had a lot of suggestions like "elixir" and "libations" but they just don't land with me. And I hate the very concept of "mocktails" so that was out.
So after a lot of brainstorming ... welcome to our new name, and our new branding!
The happy ending is that we genuinely love this name and design even more, now that we are used to it.
I know this is a pretty exhausting story! Thank you so much for reading it, and for sticking with us as we figure so many things out!
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In Pixie Colman Smith's Tarot deck, the Fortitude / Strength card has a female figure on it petting a male lion. Since yesterday was the first day of Sikh New Year, it seems like a good time to tell you the story behind the Fortitude illustration in our book and deck.
Our friend Jairus once had a clever and sweet cat named Mothra. They loved each other very much and we were heartbroken when she developed kidney disease when she was just a few years old.
When it was sadly time for Mothra to cross the rainbow bridge, Jairus knew he wanted it to happen at home where Mothra felt safe. So he called a clinic and booked an appointment with someone who made house calls.
A few hours later, a vet arrived. He was a Sikh man, dressed head to toe in white. He told us all that we were doing a kind and loving thing for Mothra, which was such a comfort to hear.
It was of course a heartbreaking day. But we will always be thankful to Dr. Singh for how caring and reassuring he was to us, and how gentle and loving he was with Mothra in her last minutes.
The figure on the card is based on that man, the kindest veterinarian I have ever met. The lioness is based on Mothra, a beautiful dilute calico.
Cindy Fan has done a wonderful job of showing Dr. Singh's loving strength, and has made Mothra glowing and golden and strong.
The question that accompanies this card is "What does it mean to practice solidarity toward myself and others?" This sentiment is reflected in respectful interaction portrayed between animal and human.
For every Fortitude art print we sell for the rest of the month, we will be donating 100% of the proceeds to the Sikhi Awareness Foundation, a Canadian Charity working in India to provide economic, educational, and community support to those living in extreme poverty across the subcontinent.
p.s. The word Singh is derived from the Sanskrit word सिंह, which means lion!
p.p.s. Big thanks to Manveer Singh Sihota and Kirthan Aujlay for their feedback and insight during the process of creating this artwork
]]>Pamela “Pixie” Colman Smith (16 February 1878 – 18 September 1951), was a British artist, illustrator, writer and occultist. She is best known for illustrating the Rider-Waite tarot deck, from which we took the inspiration for our own Tarot deck.
To honour Pixie’s work creating the iconic Tarot art we all know and love, we have created a special non-alcoholic cocktail to mark her birthday. It contains sorrel — a flavour familiar to Pixie after her youth spent in Jamaica — and gold dust, for a bit of magic. Suggested reading while you make this recipe: The Imaginary Worlds episode about Pixie Colman Smith.
From the transcript of the episode:
“Pixie grew up in Brooklyn. She traveled a lot with her father who had business in Jamaica and England. And she came from a distinguished family. Her grandfather was the first mayor of Brooklyn. Her father was an artist. Her mother was a writer. They were friends with literary icons like William Butler Yeats.
There were a lot of rumours at the time that Pamela was adopted, or that one her parents was not fully Caucasian, or that she was the product of an affair. Either way, white people looked at Pamela and thought, you can’t be one of us.
Tarot cards had started out in the 15th century as a parlour game for Italian aristocrats. The cards made their way to France where aristocrats were using them for divine guidance. But they weren’t common in the modern world until one of the members of The Golden Dawn -- Arthur Edward Waite -- saw an exhibit on tarot cards and hired Pamela to design a deck.
Pixie was not thrilled with this assignment. She had 6 months to create 80 cards, and she complained to a friend that it was a “big job for very little cash.” But she was intrigued by the idea, and dove in.
They have become the bestselling tarot deck of all time is because they are universal. In every country, there's a Cinderella story, there's a King or queen story, there's an exile story, and each one of these cards tells the story of a society where you belong. There's a hierarchy and there's a fall from grace."
Note: Gold dust is available online or at specialty baking stores! Grapefruit can counteract the effects of some medication. If you need to, you can swap in orange zest!
(As always, if you make the drink please let us know if you have any trouble with it, and/or if it fills you with joy!)
Thank you so much for everything, everyone. We'll be back later in the week with more thrilling updates!
]]>In honour of tomorrow's longest night of the year -- we are sharing the (current!) recipe for non-alcoholic cocktail The Sun. We would love for it to be part of your holiday celebrations! If you make it, please share a picture and let us know how the recipe works for you! We're still beta-testing everything, so feedback is hugely appreciated.
This time of year can be joyous or painful or a combination of them both. No matter how you feel about the Holidays, we hope you are keeping warm.
And remember: after Saturday's Winter Equinonx, things will start getting brighter.
Note: this recipe involves use of a blowtorch! Small ones are available at most kitchen supply stores. If you can't find one -- or if it seems too daunting -- you can instead heat the rosemary when it appears in the steps below, in a pan set to high.
(If you do use a blowtorch, please exercise caution by clearing your workspace of flammable materials like paper bags or cooking oils. And make sure you tie your hair back!)
Approximate time needed: 20 mins
Produces: 450mL of the Sun mix
Regardless of the temperature served, enjoy the drink yourself or hand it to your guest! Be sure to warn them of the still-smoking rosemary sprig.
]]>Half an hour of creation
12 to 24 hours to chill in fridge
550mL of Orgeat
200g blanched almonds
200g refined white sugar
200mL water
1 tsp rosewater
1 tsp orange flower water
0.5 tsp almond extract
1. Toast almonds in a single layer on a shallow pan at 400 degrees Fahrenheit for 10-15 mins or until golden brown. Check every 5 minutes to ensure that the nuts do not burn (note: when using slivered or powdered almond, drop cooking time by half or three-quarters).
2. Remove from oven when browned and let sit to cool.
3. Combine 200g of sugar and 200mL water in a blender, mix until sugar is dissolved.
4. Add toasted almonds and blend on high until the mixture is thick and smooth.
5. Let mixture sit in the fridge for 12 to 24 hours, this allows the browned oils from the nuts to permeate through the the sugar/water solution.
6. Strain the almond mixture through a fine sieve or nut milk bag. Multiple passes may be necessary to remove most of the solids, but don't worry if some sediment remains.
7. Congratulations, you've made sweetened, toasted almond milk!
8. This step is what elevates this to orgeat; stir 1tsp each of rosewater and orange flower water into your almond milk. (Optionally, you can also add half a teaspoon of almond extract if you feel that the orgeat could use a nuttier flavour.) Refrigerate the orgeat in a sealed container.
When chilled, it will keep for roughly 1-2 weeks. It may slightly separate when undisturbed, but simply agitate the container to recombine. If the mixture becomes thick and difficult to pour, it has spoiled and should be disposed of.
1. Simply combine 2oz (60mL) of orgeat with soda water in a 14oz glass with ice and stir!
2. Try it in your coffee or tea to replace sugar and milk for a wonderfully warm, nutty hug.
3. Pour a splash over ice cream for a flavour boost!
4. Experiment with adding citrus juices, teas and even dairy - orgeat is very easy and fun to work with!
Almonds are typically expensive, even when buying in bulk. For the price-conscious, cutting the quantities of almond and water by half and using unsweetened almond milk from your grocery store is a viable option! Remember to add a dash of almond extract when using this method, as the store bought almond milk will lack the toasted flavour characteristic of true orgeat.
The solids left in the sieve after pressing your almond milk can also be used! They still retain sugar and should be a fine enough texture to be combined in to cookie dough, coarse enough to be sprinkled into salads with acidic dressings, or even as a crust for roasting meats to be rolled in. Eliminate waste!