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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 the base spirit. It’s a type of gin made with juniper, butterfly pea blossom, ginger, grapefruit, spices, and alcohol. We used Victoria Distillers Empress 1908 Gin because it has light and refreshing juniper taste, herbal black tea flavor, and beautiful purple color. For a mocktail version of this drink, try butterfly pea blossom tea in place of the gin.
Sparkling Lemonade: This is a tart beverage made with lemon juice, sugar, and carbonated water. We went with IZZE Sparkling Lemonade because it’s very flavorful and is made with real citrus juice.
Blue Curaçao: This is an orange-flavored liqueur made with citrus, sugar, spices, blue food coloring, and a neutral grain spirit. For a mocktail version of this drink, try Monin Non-Alcoholic Blue Curaçao Syrup in place of the liqueur.
Lemon Juice: This adds sweet and sour citrus flavors for balance. We prefer to use fresh citrus juice because it’s less bitter than the bottled stuff and tastes better.
Rosemary: This is the garnish. It adds fragrant rosemary aroma.
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.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
Which of our palates is yours most like?
Find out if your palate is most similar to Alex’s or Kendall’s by answering five questions.
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.
Add sparkling lemonade, blue curaçao, lemon juice, and cracked ice to a highball glass.
Stir for 5-10 seconds.
Carefully float gin on top with a bar spoon.
Garnish with rosemary sprig.
Ingredients
Directions
Add sparkling lemonade, blue curaçao, lemon juice, and cracked ice to a highball glass.
Stir for 5-10 seconds.
Carefully float gin on top with a bar spoon.
Garnish with rosemary sprig.
Make It a Mocktail: Use butterfly pea blossom tea in place of the gin and Monin Non-Alcoholic Blue Curaçao Syrup in place of the liqueur to try a booze-free version of this drink.
Tools & Glassware We Recommend
![BENETI Exquisite Highball Drinking Glasses [Set of 6] Curved Clear Water Glasses with Heavy Weighted Base, Tall Cocktail Glasses, Beer Glasses, Tumbler Glasses, Glass Cups for Fresh Juice (14 Ounces)](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51+3rkrudsL._SL160_.jpg)
![Highball Glasses [Set of 4] + 4 Stainless Steel Straws, 16 oz Lead-Free Crystal Clear Glass, Elegant Drinking Cups for Water, Wine, Beer, Cocktails and Mixed Drinks - Round Top, Square Bottom](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/41GXWKMjCkS._SL160_.jpg)
More Halloween Cocktails
If you like this Halloween 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
This post contains affiliate links, meaning we make a small commission each time you purchase a product using our links. Product images sourced from Amazon Product Advertising API. Amazon affiliate links last updated on 2023-03-20.
