A Toast with The Plug: Michael Jackson’s Thriller-Inspired Mojito Mocktail

As darkness falls across the land, you stumble upon a Michael Jackson-inspired mojito mocktail recipe that will make your body shiver from its cooling sensation. No mere mortal can resist our healthy mocktail recipe! Let’s “thrill” you tonight by discussing our drink’s benefits, the impact of Michael Jackson’s Thriller, and how you can create a sparkling mojito mocktail inspired by one of the best-selling albums of all time. 

In 1982, Michael Jackson, the “King of Pop”, released an iconic and best-selling studio album: Thriller. He produced outstanding songs like “Billie Jean”, “Beat It”, and “Thriller” for the album, which independently impacted the music industry and people around the world. From finger-snapping melodies to graceful footwork, the King of Pop did not want the album to have only one good song with standard B-side tracks alongside it. He purposely created a killer album with many hit songs that will have you grooving and singing along to the lyrics (1). His decision led to the studio album climbing the music charts while breaking racial barriers and impacting pop culture with groundbreaking music videos you’ve most likely seen before.

This album transcended cultural boundaries, changed the trajectory of music, and influenced artists to redefine music just like Michael Jackson (2). Not only do we know that Thriller is one of the greatest studio albums from the 80s that easily impacted the world, but did you know that listening to the album can also improve your well-being and mental health?

According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, listening to music can help reduce anxiety, decrease blood pressure, improve sleep quality, and boost creativity (3). Additionally, research mentions that the studio album’s use of diverse genres (pop, synth-pop, post-disco, etc.) directly improves your well-being by releasing inner stress, elevating your mood, and increasing comprehension of your inner thoughts and feelings (4).

For instance, if you carefully listen to the outro of “Wanna Be Startin’ Somethin’”, there’s an infectious rhythm of funk and post-disco tunes where you will experience increased serotonin and decreased stress while feeling energized to dance all night (4). After listening to the song, did you notice any changes? If you caught yourself trying to moonwalk or simply expressing happiness, you are experiencing an improvement in your well-being solely by listening to music. Let’s take this phenomenon one step further by diving into the health benefits of our mocktail inspired by Michael Jackson’s Thriller. 

Our sparkling mojito mocktail is highly beneficial for your body due to the activated charcoal, lime, cane sugar, and The Plug Drink in our ingredient list. Did you know activated charcoal is a flavorless black powder that helps remove toxins from your body, lower cholesterol levels, and improve kidney health (5)? Now you do! In addition, the powder from the activated charcoal capsules will darken the drink without using food coloring and improve your digestive health over time (5). 

Next, lime may help prevent kidney stones and boost immunity (6). Thus, lime becomes a helpful component in this mocktail, providing cooling properties that help prevent dehydration and strengthen your immune system. 

Cane sugar is a good source of antioxidants, minerals, and vitamins to help control stress levels and boost energy (7). Using the right amount of cane sugar can help prevent fatty liver disease, produce more serotonin, and amp up our drink’s taste even further (7). 

But that’s not all! The main star in our mocktail is our plant-based recovery hack: The Plug Drink. This exceptional key element restores your body over time by boosting your immune system, regulating your digestive system, and improving your liver health. The Plug Drink’s unique 13-in-1 formula is designed to be your daily liver detox by quickly processing all the toxins out of your body and rapidly hydrating your system.

From being a high source of antioxidants to acting as your liver’s sidekick, our mocktail is a superstar sensation with a showstopping entourage of powerful ingredients. Now, it’s time for you to take center stage and create our sparkling yet healthy mojito mocktail inspired by Thriller. 

Ingredients:

● 1 lime

● 15-16 fresh mint leaves

● 1 tablespoon cane sugar

● 1 activated charcoal capsule 

● 1 bottle of The Plug Drink

● 1 teaspoon edible glitter (optional)

● 1 cup ice

● 1 bottle of sparkling water  

Directions:

Once you have all the necessary ingredients, grab a tall glass and a muddler to create the most thrilling drink. 

Step 1: Wash your lime properly. With a knife, chop the lime into multiple slices to the rhythm of “Beat It”. Don’t forget to save 1 slice of lime for your garnish. 

Step 2: Add chopped-up lime, 15 fresh mint leaves, and 1 tablespoon of cane sugar into your tall glass. Gently muddle all of the ingredients in the glassware with a muddler to release the aroma and juices. 

Step 3: Carefully open 1 activated charcoal capsule to darken the drink naturally and pour the powder into the tall glass with tender love and care. 

Step 4: Pour in a bottle of The Plug Drink and stir the ingredients together. 

Optional Step: Add 1 teaspoon of edible glitter into the tall glass, then stir the mixture until the drink shines like Michael Jackson’s signature glove.

Step 6: Add ice and top the drink with sparkling water for a fizzy and cooling sensation. Then garnish your drink with a slice of lime and a mint leaf.

Optional Step: Before the final step, take a photo or video of your sparkling drink and share it on Instagram and/or TikTok. Post your creation with a Michael Jackson song from the Thriller album playing in the background and tag us @theplugdrink. We can’t wait to see your thrilling drink! 

Step 7: Lastly, stir your drink and serve until your creation is completely shiny and smooth like Michael Jackson’s iconic moonwalk performance. 

On this thrilling night, you channeled your inner Michael Jackson and learned how to create an iconic sparkling mojito mocktail. But don’t go anywhere; remember to buy yourself The Plug Drink at your local Total Wine & More to experience the groundbreaking benefits of boosted immunity, digestion, and energy to dance to the beat of “P.Y.T. (Pretty Young Thing)” after just one sip.

Now, you are ready to wear a rhinestone-encrusted white glove to craft the most thrilling mocktail while listening to Thriller. Let’s toast with our mojito mocktail and say cheers to happiness, energy boosts, and long-term health! *clink*

Bibliography

1. Monroe B. Q&A: Michael Jackson In His Own Words. Ebony [Internet]. 2007 Dec;96-98. Available from: https://books.google.com/books?id=WdMDAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA96#v=onepage&q&f=false 

2. Vogel J. “Thriller” -- Michael Jackson (1982). National Registry [Internet]. 2007;1-3. Available from: https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/Thriller--FINAL.pdf 

3. Keep Your Brain Young with Music [Internet]. Johns Hopkins Medicine. Available from: https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/keep-your-brain-young-with-music#:~:text=It%20provides%20a%20total%20brain,%2C%20mental%20alertness%2C%20and%20memory 

4. Wang K, Gao S, Huang J. Learning About Your Mental Health From Your Playlist? Investigating the Correlation Between Music Preference and Mental Health of College Students. Frontiers in Psychology [Internet]. 2022 Apr 22;13:824789. Available from: https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9072654

5. Stuart A, Wiginton K. Activated Charcoal: Benefits, Uses, and Risks [Internet]. WebMD. Updated 2024 June 24. Available from: https://www.webmd.com/vitamins-and-supplements/activated-charcoal-uses-risks 

6. Raman R. Limes: A Citrus Fruit with Powerful Benefits [Internet]. Healthline. Updated 2023 Apr 20. Available from: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/limes 

7. WebMD Editorial Contributor. Cane Sugar: Are There Health Benefits? [Internet]. WebMD. Updated 2023 Mar 23. Available from: https://www.webmd.com/diet/health-benefits-cane-sugar