I love our Immunity Support formula.  The herbs are powerful, the flavors are right, and I know it works –it’s saved me more times than I can count when I’ve felt something coming on (I have two kids in preschool. They’re always sick – thanks to the herbs, I’m not). As a frequent traveler, I’ve upgraded my previous pre-flight tangerine flavored immunity powder pack with our Immunity Support and I couldn’t be happier, or for that matter, healthier.

Having a bolstered immune system is as much a staple of Chinese medicine as it is western. The beauty of our formula is that it’s great for not only immunity, but for helping during pollen and ragweed seasons as well. 

A Thing About Chinese Herbs: the Flavors are Tough

 If you’re a fan of Chinese herbs or have spent time with our brand, you know that Chinese medicine can taste pretty bad (in some cases, really bad). We’ve worked hard (and we think successfully) to upgrade the flavors, and that really comes through with Immunity Support, with its refreshing pear-ginger combination. But we didn’t just select these flavors because they pair well, they also relate to the efficacy of the herbal formula itself (in Chinese medicine, the connection between food and medicine is huge). So why ginger and pear?:

• According to Chinese medicine legend Bob Flaws, ginger helps boost circulation, respiration and circulation. Other scholars believe it helps with motion sickness (airplanes!) among other cold symptoms.
• Pear is considered a “yin tonic” that clears heat, energizes the stomach, spleen and lungs.  

Cue the Cocktail

With our Chinese herbs in hand and our flavor guardrails in place, DAO executive chef Travis Metzger recommended simply enhancing Immunity Support’s flavor profile with ingredients that we can pick-up at any liquor store. So we did.

Much like the three herbs in Immunity Support, the power of this drink comes from the simplicity of the ingredients. While a fresh ginger syrup would be just short of perfect, ginger beer tastes great and mixes well with just about anything (we were soon to discover, Chinese medicine as well). As we are nothing if not authentic when it comes to Chinese herbs, we felt the same should apply to our selection of ginger beer, so we chose Goslings, but surely other varieties would perform just as well.

For our pear flavor, Travis recommended pear brandy, admittedly a drink I had never enjoyed before. But remember: in Chinese medicine, pear is considered a yin “tonic” that helps with both the spleen and stomach…I am sure the same applies to brandy.

Finally, we added a rosemary sprig. Why rosemary? In addition to tasting amazing with the two other ingredients, Chinese medicine doctors believe rosemary to be a “warming herb” that supports the heart, kidneys, lungs and spleen, further adding to overall immunity boosting qualities of this Chinese medicine cocktail. And of course, we added a packet of our Immunity Support.

The Qi Ginger

Part pear brandy, part ginger beer, some Chinese herbs to boost your immunity, 2,500 years of heritage and you’ve got the first DAO Labs Cocktail: the Qi Ginger. The Immunity Support flavors mix well with the added ingredients, and you experience only a hint of the Chinese herbs as you enjoy a drink that takes both the edge off and defends against airborne pathogens. The effervescence particles of Immunity Support when combined with the brandy gives the drink a little fizz, which adds a nice latte-like foam at the top.

 So as we continue pushing the innovation envelope on Chinese medicine, we’ve added another dimension on our path to revolutionize the way we pursue health.   Expect more cocktails in the not too distant future, but until then, we raise this glass to our immunity, Chinese style.

Serving Size

One cocktail

Prep Time

1-2 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 shot Pear Brandy (we used Clear Creek)
• 1 can ginger beer
• 1 packet DAO Labs Immunity Support
• 1 sprig rosemary
• 1 lemon wedge

Directions

Empty the contents of one DAO Labs Immunity Support packet. Slowly add the shot of pear brand and ginger beer (the cocktail will fizz!). Stir slightly, and squeeze a bit of lemon juice for added flavor. Garnish with the sprig of rosemary. Enjoy (while warding off airborne pathogens).

Looking for some music to accompany The Qi Ginger? Try this mix.

John G. McGarvey is a co-founder of DAO Labs and a regular contributor to The Way. A frequent visitor to China and Asia for both business and pleasure, he is an avid consumer of Chinese medicine. He can be reached at john@mydaolabs.com.