Sip Something Wild: Mocktails & Switchels for Fall

About this event

Long before bottled sodas and bar carts, people were preserving the brightness of fruit and the warmth of spice in vinegar, honey, and time. Shrubs and switchels are among the oldest drinks in the American tradition, sipped on porches and farm fields well before they became trendy again in craft cocktail bars.

This fall, I'm inviting you into that tradition for an evening of tasting, making, and sipping.

We'll talk through the history of these drinking vinegars and tonics, from colonial-era switchels to the shrub revival happening now. You'll taste several of my own seasonal creations, made in advance just for this evening, and we'll make one together as a group so you can see and smell the process from start to finish. You'll leave with a sample to take home, a full recipe handout covering everything we tasted, and the confidence to keep making more on your own kitchen counter all season long.

This is a tasting-forward, hands-on evening. No experience necessary, just curiosity and a thirst for something a little different.

🌼 No experience needed—just curiosity and a love of nature 🌼 All materials and supplies are provided 🌼 You’ll leave with your own mocktail mix and confidence to make more 🌼 Open to ages 18 and up

Come solo or bring a friend—this is a warm, welcoming space to create, learn, and experience the magic of herbal traditions made simple.

Sip Something Wild: Mocktails & Switchels for Fall

$34.00

A cozy fall gathering exploring wild mocktails and switchels made with seasonal herbs and botanicals. Learn to craft warming, nourishing drinks using ingredients you can forage or find right in your kitchen, no alcohol required, just plants doing what they do best.

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Your Host

Michelle Spalding is an herbalist and holistic coach, a lifelong plant lover, and a longtime business owner. She has more than 10 years of coaching experience, over 20 years of running businesses, and more than 2,000 hours of formal training in Western herbalism and vitalist philosophy. She founded Wild Thistle Herbs and Alchemy in Waco, Texas, where she works with clients, tends a small apothecary shop, and hand-crafts herbal products in small batches.

Michelle brings a warm, down-to-earth approach to everything she does. She believes herbs and nature don’t have to be complicated or intimidating, and that change is easier with someone steady beside you. A cup of tea, a little plant knowledge, and a room full of curious people are among her favorites.

Her workshops are beginner-friendly, hands-on, and grounded in the idea that plants are for everyone. Whether you leave with a new skill, a deeper curiosity, or simply an evening that felt better than you expected, that is time well spent.

Michelle is a proud member of the American Herbalists Guild, Herbalists Without Borders, and the Flower Essence Society. She offers holistic coaching by video for women wherever they are, and in-person herbal consultations in Waco or by video.

Learn more about working with Michelle.