Maybe it’s because I live in the city that never sleeps (where the night owls feel an exceptional need to shout at each other from under my window), but I’m becoming a big fan of dreamless sleep.  My favorite, in lieu of a nightcap of Tylenol PM, is a soothing cup of Celestial Seasonings Sleepy Time Tea.  I usually don’t touch CS tea – it’s like the Dinty Moore Beef Stew of the tea aisle.  Sleepy Time, though, is a whole ‘nother story.  Enriched with chamomile and valerian extract, it manages to tuck me in at night and mute the sounds of the city outside.  It’s rather glorious – especially coming from a girl of the suburbs who remembers fireflies and crickets as harbingers of night, not sirens and car alarms.

This is my summertime ode to the dreamless sleep – a deliciously crisp and cool cocktail that blends fresh lemonade and iced Sleepy Time.  A glass or two, and you’ll feel like you’re swinging away in a hammock without a care in the world.  And yes, it works, so please drink this after the chores are done.  Like most of my drinks, this one is sweetened with a simple syrup – it makes the drink blend together so perfectly, it’s really worth the extra effort.  This particular syrup gets its glory from a mint infusion – yet another layer of flavor before naptime.