These Practical Magic-inspired Midnight Margaritas are perfect for your next Halloween party or Practical Magic viewing party. They will make you want to dance around your kitchen playing Harry Nilsson’s “Coconut” just like Nicole Kidman and Sandra Bullock.
These Midnight Margaritas are part of my Halloween Cocktail series. I have a Hocus Pocus Cocktail, so I felt that I needed to make one for Practical magic as well.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- These margaritas are a twist on traditional margaritas and are the perfect creepy-themed, eye-catching cocktails perfect for spooky season.
- These Midnight Margaritas are color-changing frozen margaritas made with coconut and lime – you can literally put the lime in the coconut just like the song in the movie!
- You’ll love the flavor and aesthetic of these midnight margaritas so much that you’ll want to make them all year long! They don’t HAVE to be consumed at Halloween.
Ingredients
You’ll just need a few key ingredients to make Practical Magic Midnight Margaritas that would make Aunt Frances and Aunt Jet proud.
The ingredients are simple – I promise there is no “eye of newt” or “toe of frog” here. This recipe is a coconut lime margarita, so Barbados lime might be the closest that we get to the original Owens women’s recipe.
Black Salt – This specialty salt gives your margaritas a truly Halloween vibe with its deep black color. Made from activated charcoal and sea salt, black salt doesn’t taste any different than regular sea salt. It does have a slightly smoky aroma though.
It’s often called black lava salt or black obsidian salt, and it is usually only on Amazon (where I got my black salt) or in specialty stores. It’s a good sub to Aunt Jet’s cragged salt like a sailor’s stubble!
Coconut Tequila – The subtle taste of coconut pairs well with the other ingredients in this cocktail, giving the drink a little something special that regular tequila doesn’t provide. You can find coconut tequila in your favorite liquor store; 1800 makes a coconut tequila that is the most common on the market.
Brewed Butterfly Pea Flower Tea – Butterfly pea flower tea has an earthy, woody, and slightly floral flavor that, when brewed, has a beautiful deep blue color. If you’ve been following my blog for any amount of time, you know how much I love butterfly pea flower tea (I even infused vodka with it.)
This tea has become famous for its color-changing ability when acidic ingredients such as lime juice are added to the brewed tea. You can buy loose or bagged butterfly pea flower tea online and in some specialty stores.
The full list of ingredients and quantities is listed below in the recipe.
Substitutions and Variations
Tequila – You can use regular tequila instead of coconut if you want more traditional-tasting midnight margaritas or can’t find coconut tequila. Alternatively, you can try another flavored tequila, such as blood orange, grapefruit, or even jalapeno, if you like something with a bit of spice.
Salt – You can skip the black salt and use regular kosher salt if you can’t find the ingredient or don’t want to use it. Adding black salt to the rim of your margarita will intensify the cocktail’s sweet and sour flavors while also giving it a unique look.
Triple Sec – You can easily substitute triple sec with simple syrup for the sweetness without the light orange flavor. Use a 1:1 ratio of water to granulated sugar and heat until dissolved. Make sure to cool the simple syrup before you use it.
In my opinion, margaritas taste the best with a triple sec, like Cointreau, or a curaçao like, Grand Marnier, but use what you like and/or what is available to you.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Start by brewing the butterfly pea flower tea and sweetening it as desired. Allow it to completely cool or else your frozen margarita will melt away.
Then rim a margarita glass with black salt, using a wedge of lime or some lime juice to wet the rim so the salt sticks to it.
Next, add tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and ice to a blender.
“Flip the switch and let the cauldron bubble” aka blend well until all the ingredients are well incorporated.
Add your cooled butterfly pea tea to your midnight margarita and 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
- Stick your margarita glasses in the freezer to make them nice and frosty ahead of time to prevent your frozen margarita from melting too quickly while your guests enjoy it.
- Squeeze your limes before any party to make blending up your midnight margaritas easier while enjoying your company.
- To sweeten your butterfly pea tea, use granulated sugar, simple syrup, or even honey, depending on your preference. If you use granulated sugar or honey, add it to your tea while it is still hot, so it dissolves quickly.
- Make sure that you cool the tea so that it is ice cold – this will help prevent the frozen margarita from melting too much.
Recipe FAQ
Silver, or Blanco, tequila is best for a regular margarita, but coconut tequila works well this recipe. Flavored tequilas are usually infused silver tequila with a little extra flavor.
Silver tequila is purer in flavor, with a more intense taste of tequila that stands up to the other flavors of a margarita.
You must scale up the ingredients to make a big batch of your midnight margaritas. You can quickly scale a recipe by two or three for a few guests by just multiplying the amount of ingredients times that amount. However, if you want to make a large batch, like a pitcher, you will want to make about eight times the recipe.
To make a pitcher for 8:
1 ½ cups coconut tequila
1 cup triple sec
1 cup lime juice
2 ½ cups ice – add more if you want a thicker margarita
2 cups brewed butterfly pea flower tea, sweetened to taste
Instructions for 8:
Mix the tequila, triple sec, and lime juice together up to one day in advance.
Brew the butterfly pea flower tea up to one day in advance.
When ready to serve, add the ice to the blender with the tequila mix.
Pour into a margarita glass (with or without salt) and then allow guests to top their own margarita with the butterfly pea flower tea.
Then, watch them “ooh” and “ahhh” over the Midnight Margaritas’ beauty.
You can buy butterfly pea flower tea online on Amazon or at specialty food stores.
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Midnight Margaritas Recipe
Ingredients
- Black salt to taste
- 1 ½ ounce Coconut tequila
- 1 ounce Triple sec
- 1 ounce lime juice
- 1 cup Ice
- 2 ounces Butterfly pea flower tea brewed, cooled to ice cold, and sweetened to taste
- 1 slice Lime wheel dried or fresh, for garnish, optional
Instructions
- Rim a margarita glass with black salt.
- Add tequila, triple sec, lime juice, and ice to a blender. Blend well.
- Pour the frozen margarita into the margarita glass, leaving a small amount of head space.
- Add cold butterfly pea flower tea on top for a color-changing (practical) "magic" trick.
- Garnish with a lime wheel if using.
Notes
- 1 ½ cups coconut tequila
- 1 cup triple sec
- 1 cup lime juice
- 2 ½ cups ice – add more if you want a thicker margarita
- 2 cups brewed butterfly pea flower tea, sweetened to taste
- Mix the tequila, triple sec, and lime juice together up to one day in advance.
- Brew the butterfly pea flower tea up to one day in advance.
- When ready to serve, add the ice to the blender with the tequila mix.
- Pour into a margarita glass (with or without salt) and then allow guests to top their own margarita with the butterfly pea flower tea. Then, watch them “ooh” and “ahhh” over the Midnight Margaritas’ beauty.
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.
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