Get ready for Halloween with this Hocus Pocus cocktail, inspired by everyone’s favorite Halloween movie.
This beautiful sparkly, purple-colored drink will make the perfect cocktail for spooky season. You just need a few simple ingredients to make a cocktail that the Sanderson sisters would certainly approve.
This Halloween drink is a perfect way to get the Halloween spirit. I promise, it’s not just a bunch of hocus pocus!
This drink is so much fun and sure to be the hit of your next Halloween party. Or, it would be perfect for a cozy movie night watching the movie Hocus Pocus.
So deck out your space with black cats, witch hats, and jack-o-lanterns, and get ready to make this spooky drink. If you’re more of a Practical Magic kind-of-person, you might want to check out my Practical Magic Midnight Margaritas. Or if you’re partial to Beetlejuice, try the Beetlejuice Margarita.
There’s also always my Shark Bite Spritz or IV Blood Bag Cocktails for a more gory spin. I have several more Halloween cocktails listed in my Best Glitter Cocktails.
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Why You’ll Love this Recipe
- The sparkling, purple hue of the cocktail feels very witchy and Halloween-like.
- It’s perfect for a Halloween party or Hocus Pocus (1 + 2!!!) viewing party.
- It’s not a complicated drink – it takes 5 minutes or less and is just as delicious as it is pretty.
Ingredients Notes
Butterfly pea flower-infused gin or vodka: You can buy store-bought butterfly pea flower infused liquor or make some homemade butterfly pea flower-infused vodka. (it’s super easy). I’ve listed some more details in the FAQ below.
Butterfly pea flower tea gives the liquor a distinct purple or indigo color, and it has a color-changing property in the presence of an acid (like lemon juice).
This makes for a fun party trick – see below for more details on how to make this drink extra fun. This drink has a subtle color shift, but it’s still pretty to watch the shade of purple change.
Orange liqueur: My go-to is Cointreau or Grand Marnier – but you can use your favorite orange liqueur or triple sec. Orange liqueur is worth spending a little extra to get the good stuff.
Edible glitter gel (optional): You can find this in the baking aisle at the grocery store. I found mine at Wal-Mart, and I used the red gel so that it kind of looked like sparkly blood to go along with the Halloween themed drinks.
Lemon juice: I like to opt for fresh lemon juice, but if you only have bottled – it will still work for this cocktail recipe.
Note: full details and measurements of the ingredients are below.
How to make a Hocus Pocus Halloween Cocktail
It’s quite easy to make this spooky cocktail.
1-2: Start by adding the butterfly pea flower infused vodka, orange liqueur, and lemon juice (see optional step below).
3-4: Add red edible glitter, if using. Add ice to the cocktail shaker, shake well, and then strain into a coupe or martini glass.
Tip: If you like the martini glass that I’m using in this picture, I’ve linked where to buy in the FAQ below.
Tips for serving
Optional step: Instead of pouring the lemon juice in with the liquor, you can leave it out and pour over right before drinking. This will give a subtle color shift that I find very pretty.
Plus, I like to feel extra witchy and put the juice in a vial or old bottle (I’ve linked some options below) and pour over the top like a “potion.”
If you are using the cocktail for a party or get-together, guests will love the participating in making a “potion.”
Garnish: I used a rolled lemon peel with a toy spider on top – but this is strictly optional.
Hocus Pocus Cocktail FAQ
The most common one that you will find in most liquor stores these days is Empress 1908 Gin. It’s beautiful and delicious. One of the local distilleries near me is now selling a butterfly pea flower infused gin (which is also very good!)
If you can’t find this or want to go the vodka route (like I did), you can make your own homemade butterfly pea flower infused vodka (or other spirit) with very little time or effort.
Both options will yield tasty and beautiful results.
The glassware is from one of my favorite cocktail glass makers, Viski. You can find their faceted martini glass here.
For vials, you can usually find it at craft stores or Amazon.
For edible glitter, I bought glitter gel icing from the baking aisle at Walmart. You can also use this edible glitter from Amazon.
This cocktail is very easy to scale. Below, I’ve done the math for you.
To make 8 cocktails, you would need:
-1 ½ cup butterfly pea flower vodka or gin
-1 cup orange liqueur
-¾ cup lemon juice
-1 heaping tablespoon edible glitter icing (optional)
To make 16 cocktails, you would need:
-3 cups butterfly pea flower vodka or gin
-2 cup orange liqueur
-1 ½ cup lemon juice
-2 tablespoons edible glitter icing (optional)
Add everything to a large pitcher or punch bowl and stir very well. If you want to add ice, do this right before you are ready to pour so you don’t have water-down cocktails. You don’t have to add ice if you just want to chill it in the fridge.
You can still do the lemon juice u0022potionu0022 addition detailed above. You would just leave it out and add right before guests are ready to drink. You can do this in one big pour into the pitcher or you can still have each guest pour an individual vial of lemon juice into their cocktail.
Pro Tip: You may need to restir if the glitter settles to the bottom of the big batch.
More Halloween Cocktails to Enjoy
Do you love this Hocus Pocus Cocktail? Please leave a 5-star 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟rating in the recipe card below – it helps more people find this fun recipe!
Halloween Hocus Pocus Cocktail Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 ½ ounce butterfly pea flower infused vodka or gin
- 1 ounce orange liqueur
- ¾ ounce lemon juice
- ½ teaspoon red edible glitter gel icing optional
- Lemon peel and/or toy spider for garnish optional
Instructions
- Add vodka or gin, orange liqueur, lemon juice (*see notes), and edible glitter (if using) to a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake well.
- Strain into a coupe or other cocktail glass.
- Garnish with a lemon peel and/or plastic toy spider on the rim.
Notes
- If you’re feeling extra, you can leave out the lemon juice until the very end. You can add the lemon juice to a old vintage bottle or vial (available at most craft stores) and have guests pour over top of the finished cocktail to watch the color shift, which is subtle but pretty.
- 1 ½ cup butterfly pea flower vodka or gin
- 1 cup orange liqueur
- ¾ cup lemon juice
- 1 heaping tablespoon edible glitter icing (optional)
- 3 cups butterfly pea flower vodka or gin
- 2 cup orange liqueur
- 1 ½ cup lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons edible glitter icing (optional)
Nutrition
If you love the spooky season as much as I do, check out my Amazon shop page for more spooky cocktail necessities and Halloween decor.
Cory
Really great drink!
Allie
Do you have a recipe to make a large batch of this for a party?
Melissa
Hi Allie! Thanks for mentioning this.
Yes, I just updated the recipe to include measurements for 8 and 16 cocktail batches. Check the recipe above for the updated measurements! 🙂