Witch’s Brew Lemonade

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Cocktail History

The Witch’s Brew Lemonade is a Halloween cocktail that was first published on Delish, an online food and beverage blog. Inspired by the Sanderson Sisters’ brew from the Disney Channel original movie Hocus Pocus, it’s a simple recipe with a brilliant blue and purple hue thanks to its two main ingredients—butterfly pea blossom gin and blue curaçao. Both are mixed with fresh citrus and sparkling lemonade to create a drink fitting for spooky season.

Cocktail Ingredients

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following ingredients:

Butterfly Pea Blossom Gin: This is a type of gin made with butterfly pea blossom, juniper berries, botanicals, and alcohol. We used Victoria Distillers Empress 1908 Ginbecause it has light and refreshing juniper taste, herbal black tea flavor, and beautiful purple hue. For a mocktail version of this drink, try butterfly pea blossom tea in place of the gin.

Sparkling Lemonade: This is a soda made with lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water. We used IZZE Sparkling Original Lemonade because it’s delicious and made with real citrus juices.

Blue Curaçao: This is a liqueur made with oranges, sugar, spices, blue food coloring, and alcohol. We used DeKuyper Blue Curaçao Liqueur because it has a potent orange flavor and bright blue color. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Monin Premium Blue Curaçao Syrup in place of the blue curaçao liqueur.

Lemon Juice: This is the liquid juice of a lemon. We used freshly squeezed lemon juice.

Rosemary Sprig: This is an evergreen herb.

Bartending Tools

To make this cocktail, you’ll need the following bar tools:

Jigger: This is used to measure and pour ingredients. We used the Japanese jigger from the A Bar Above 14-Piece Silver Bar Set.

Paring Knife: This is used to cut ingredients. We used the OXO Good Grips 3.5 Inch Paring Knife.

Juicer: This is used to juice citrus. We used the ALEEHAI Manual Fruit Juicer.

Bar Spoon: This is used to stir ingredients. We used the Barfly Stainless Steel Teardrop Bar Spoon.

Tasting Notes

The Witch’s Brew Lemonade features aromas of woodsy rosemary and effervescent lemon, has a light, lemony taste highlighting Empress Gin’s unique herbal and slightly spiced taste accompanied by a hint of orange, and goes down with a sweet-tart aftertaste of lemon and gin.

Our Opinion of This Cocktail Recipe: The original recipe called for a full two ounces of blue curaçao, but we found that mixing significantly less with the lemonade and setting the gin neatly on top did the trick just as well, for looks and even more so for taste. While neither of us found it life-changing, the Witch’s Brew Lemonade is certainly tasty, easy, and great for serving at a festive Halloween party.

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Alex’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“We originally made this one with the exact recipe the source shared, which contained an astounding two ounces of blue curaçao; for those who have had the ingredient before, you’ll remember it for its almost sickly sugary orange flavor, and needless to say, it was entirely too much for a balanced drink. The slightly modified version came out a lot better. It still included all of the ingredients to make the beautifully layered cocktail your party needs, but with a flavor that is more able to showcase a lemonade flavor along with Empress 1908 Gin’s unique herbal qualities.”

—

Kendall’s Take: ⭐⭐⭐
“If you’re looking for drinks to serve at a Halloween party with your gal pals, this should probably be one of them! It’s got the wow factor as far as colors go, and it’s very easy to make. Its ingredient list also resembles many of the cocktails you probably enjoyed on a night together in college, so it’ll be palatable to most. Personally, I didn’t love this one because it’s not complex at all. Plus, I really don’t care for blue curaçao, but to each their own.”

Recipe

This cocktail recipe was adapted from Delish, an online food and beverage blog.

AuthorDelish

Make It a Mocktail: Use butterfly pea blossom tea in place of the gin and Monin Premium Blue Curaçao Syrup in place of the blue curaçao liqueur to try a booze-free version of this drink.

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More Halloween Cocktails

If you like this Halloween-inspired cocktail recipe, here are a few others we’ve tried that you may enjoy:

Vampiro: A tequila cocktail made with tomato juice, orange juice, lime juice, grenadine, hot sauce, salt, black pepper, and a lime slice

Butterbeer (Harry Potter): A stout beer and spiced rum cocktail made with evaporated milk, butter, margarine, vanilla extract, brown sugar, whole cloves, whole allspice berries, cinnamon sticks, whipped cream, and nutmeg

Empress Corpse Reviver No. 2: A gin cocktail made with triple sec, Lillet Blanc, lemon juice, absinthe, and an orange twist

Tatooine Sunset (Star Wars): A tequila cocktail made with blue curaçao, pomegranate juice, grenadine, orange juice, lemon juice, and cherries

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