Practical Magic Halloween Midnight Margaritas

This recipe for Practical Magic-inspired Midnight Margaritas is perfect for your next Halloween or Practical Magic viewing party. These color-changing, lime and coconut margaritas will make you want to dance around your kitchen playing Harry Nilsson’s “Coconut” just like Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock.

Halloween cocktails are one of my favorite types of recipes to create. If you love spooky drinks like I do, make sure to also check out my Hocus Pocus Cocktail, IV Blood Bag Margaritas, and Black Magic Margaritas. 

Ingredient Notes

To quote Aunt Frances and Aunt Jet, the “recipe” or incantation for Midnight Margaritas goes as follows:

Eye of newt, toe of frog, wool of bat, tongue of dog.

Adder’s fork and blindworm’s sting.

Barbados lime is just the thing.

Cragged salt like a sailor’s stubble!

Flip the switch…and let the cauldron bubble!

Practical Magic, directed by Griffin Dunne, 1998.

Those aren’t exactly easy ingredients to come by, so I went with a lime and coconut theme inspired by the iconic song that plays while they dance around the kitchen.

Plus, I had to include a “magical” element, so I added some butterfly pea flower, which changes color in the presence of lime juice.

Here is everything you need:

Black Salt – This specialty salt gives this drink a truly Halloween vibe with its deep black color. The kind I used is a smoked salt so it does have a slightly smoky aroma to it. Sometimes it is called black lava salt or black obsidian salt. It is usually only found on Amazon (where I got mine) or in specialty stores. 

Coconut Tequila – You can find coconut tequila at most liquor stores. The brand, 1800, makes a coconut tequila that is the most common brand that I see at the store. 

Butterfly Pea Flower Tea – This tea has an earthy, woody, and slightly floral flavor. When brewed, it has a beautiful deep blue color. It has become famous for its color-changing ability when in the presence of acidic ingredients, like lime juice. You can buy loose or bagged butterfly pea flower tea online and in some specialty stores. 

Triple Sec – In my opinion, margaritas taste the best with a triple sec, like Cointreau. You could also go with a curaçao like Grand Marnier, but use what you like and/or is available to you.

Limes – Freshly squeezed lime juice is always the way to go in cocktails and drinks. Bottled citrus juice doesn’t quite taste the same.

Ice – Midnight Margaritas are blended margaritas in the movie so ice is needed for a more “authentic” experience!

Butterfly Pea Flower Tea

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Black Salt

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Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1: Start by brewing the tea and sweetening it as desired. Allow it to completely cool or else your frozen margarita will melt away.

Step 2: Then, rim cocktail glass with black salt. Use a wedge of lime or lime juice to wet the rim and roll it in the black salt.

Step 3: Next, add tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and ice to a blender. 

Step 4: “Flip the switch and let the cauldron bubble” aka blend well until all the ingredients are well incorporated. Pour the margarita into the prepared glass.

Step 5: Then, add your cooled tea. Watch as the “magic” happens and the cocktail changes color before your eyes. Finish by garnishing with a wedge of lime if you’d like, and enjoy!

Expert Tips and Variations

Stick your margarita glasses in the freezer to make them nice and frosty ahead of time. This will prevent your frozen margarita from melting too quickly. 

For a sweeter drink, add a touch of simple syrup or agave nectar to your brewed tea.

Make sure that you cool the tea so that it is ice cold. This will help prevent the frozen margarita from melting too much.

Try a different flavor of tequila, such as jalapeno, grapefruit, or passionfruit.

For thicker midnight margaritas, add more ice cubes. You can even freeze some of the pea flower tea into ice cubes that can be blended up in the blender.

Making a Big Batch 

You can quickly scale a recipe by just multiplying the amount of ingredients times that amount. I’ve also included measurements for 8 servings in the recipe card to make things easier for serving a bigger batch.

Prepping in Advance

You can’t pre-make the margaritas in their entirety, but you can prep some ingredients together to make the process seamless when you’re trying to serve a crowd.

First, mix the tequila, triple sec, and lime juice in a large pitcher. Store in the fridge for up to one day in advance. You can also brew the butterfly flower tea and keep refrigerated up to one day in advance. Just make sure to keep the tea separate from the rest of the ingredients.

When ready to serve, add the ice to the blender with the tequila mixture. Then, pour into a margarita glass (with or without a salt rim) and top with the cold butterfly pea flower tea. 

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