Drinks and CocktailsGinHalloween

Hocus Pocus Witch’s Brew

Alyssa
Hocus Pocus Witchs Brew

We needed a drink spooky enough for our Hocus Pocus drinking game and this bright blue and purple bad boy was just the thing.

The secret ingredient in this cocktail is Empress Gin from Victoria, British Columbia. Empress is infused with butterfly pea blossoms, which literally makes the gin bright purple. We actually can’t believe we found a gin as perfect as this just in time for Halloween. Once the gin is mixed with Blue Curacao and lemon juice it naturally layers to create this beautiful ombre effect. Heck yes!


Hocus Pocus Witch's Brew

In addition to the colour, this cocktail was perfect for our Hocus Pocus drinking game because it’s easy to make and it’s not super sweet, meaning that your hangover won’t be quite as bad the next day (but it will still exist).  You definitely won’t want to keep pausing the movie to make an elaborate cocktail – these guys practically make themselves. If you don’t want to go the cocktail route then we recommend an easy-drinking beer like Bud Light or Rolling Rock, because this drinking game is not for the faint of heart.

Hocus Pocus Witch's Brew

Hocus Pocus Witch's Brew

  • 2 oz Empress 1908 Gin. If you don’t have access to Empress 1908 Gin you can soak any gin with butterfly pea blossoms (which you can buy here) for 24 hours so your gin has a blue tint, or use a butterfly pea extract (like this one) and add it to your gin for an instant colour change.
  • 1 oz Blue Curacao
  • 1 oz lemon juice
  • Soda water
  • Crushed ice

Hocus Pocus Witch's Brew

Hocus Pocus Witch's Brew

Fill a highball glass with crushed ice. Next, add the Blue Curacao followed by the lemon juice. Then add the gin and top with soda. Pour all of the ingredients gently, especially the soda as otherwise the drink will not layer. If you naturally have a heavy hand, then pour the ingredients over the back of a spoon to help you pour gently. Drink, repeat.

For a video tutorial, check out our Instagram Reel or this Tik Tok.

Hocus Pocus Witch's Brew

Looking for other spooky activities, games or cocktails? Check out some of our other ideas and recipes below:

Hocus Pocus Witch's Brew

cocktailseasyginhalloweenhocus pocus
Alyssa

Alyssa

Alyssa is an illustrator with a background in food and beverage. When she’s not getting crafty or mixing cocktails you can often find her off on an adventure somewhere. She is a level three Sommelier, has a thing for hiking, drinks Jameson on the rocks and has seen mountain gorillas in the wild.

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28 Comments

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    1. Hmmm…sorry to hear. Did you use real lemon juice or lemon juice concentrate, and did you fill the glass entirely up with ice? Wondering why it didn’t layer for you.

      1. Can this be stirred? Like if you stir it, does it still settle that way? Hoping to make this in a cauldron with dry ice in between the cauldron and punch bowl.

        1. Hi Megan, if you stir the drink it will mix but it should settle this way again – it just may take some time! Your plan sounds fantastic, have fun!

      1. Hi Monica, we made this cocktail a couple times today to see if we could figure out why some people are having trouble with the layers, as it layers for us no problem and we’ve had lots of people share their photos with us! The only suggestions we have are to make sure your glass is full to the top with ice and to not pour the soda too aggressively. Good luck!!!

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  6. Hi! I tried this with the updated instructions and it still is pretty much all blue and barely purple at the top. Any other tips?

    1. Hey Nic, we added a video of us making the cocktail to our Instagram (it’s one of only two videos in the Reels tab), that demonstrates the layering. The only other tips we have is to pour slowly? And if you want a big layer of purple add more gin and less soda. Good luck!

  7. Hi! How can I get the purple to show up like yours? It’s not working with your updated measurements. Thank you!

    1. Hi Nicole, we posted a video tutorial for the cocktail on our Instagram Reels (its one of only two videos in our Reels tab) so you can see the layering. If you want the purple layer to be even more dramatic I would suggest adding more gin and less soda. Any other issues let us know!

  8. What would you recommend if I want to make a batch of this for a party? Is this best as single serve?

    1. Hi Ali, you can easily make a bunch of these cocktails as they’re pretty quick to make, but they would have to all be made in separate glasses to individually layer like this! We have a video tutorial in our Instagram Reels (there’s only two videos there so it should be easy to find!) that demonstrates the layering.

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    1. Hi Kim, you could certainly use vodka! We chose this gin because of its bright purple hue. The cocktail tastes similar to a Tom Collins (a classic gin cocktail!).

    1. Hi Alissa, you could definitely try using black edible glitter in place of charcoal! We haven’t tried it, so if you do report back!

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