Inspired by the mystical Life Potion and colonial herbal remedies, this vibrant black cocktail blends anise and butterfly pea infused vodka with Lillet Blanc, Crème de Menthe, and Grapefruit Oleo Saccharum, evoking the healing traditions of 1600s Salem with a garnish that nods to old-world potions and a flavor that’s both earthy and enchanting. (Recipe Below)
The potion needed to restore the witches is our first cocktail inspiration, Life Potion. While we were tempted to use the Life Potion recipe straight from the movie, it was hard to find ethically sourced "Dead Man's Toe" and it was hard to quantify "A piece of thine own tongue" for single cocktail purposes. The flavors we have combined come from herbal medicines used in 1600's Salem that may have been used by healers who were called witches. First, we infused vodka with Anise and Butterfly Pea flower (recipe below) to create a deep blue and fresh flavored vodka. Anise was brought over by colonial settlers and for a time, it was required to grow in the gardens of the settlers. We combined it with Lillet Blanc which is a wine fortified with quinine and tree bark to create its distinct bitter and acidic flavor used for colds and fevers. Creme de Menthe is for mint, often used in drink and food recipes in colonial times, Grapefruit Oleo Saccharum- grapefruit being bitter, earthy, and slightly sweet like St. John's Wort, used in the 1600's to purify the blood and as a general "cure all", we are using the oleo saccharum as a balancing sweetener with a touch of earthy bitterness. Finally, we garnish with a Lemon Ribbon to symbolize the skin of a newt or lizard which was a common "remedy" for warts and cancers in Colonial Salem. This cocktail is delicious in a coupe glass, and if you'd like to add sparkling wine or soda water to "Bringeth to a full and rousing bubble", that would only make the cocktail better!
Life Potion
1.5 oz (45mL)
Anise Butterfly Infused Vodka
.5 oz (15mL)Lillet Blanc.5 oz (15mL)
Creme de Menthe
.25 oz (7.5mL) Grapefruit Oleo Saccharum
Dropper Saline
In a mixing glass, combine 2 oz of Anise Butterfly Vodka, .5 oz Lillet Blanc, .5 oz Creme de Menth, and .25 oz Grapefruit Oleo Saccharum and a dropper full of saline.
Anise Butterfly Infused Vodka
.2 oz Butterfly Pea Flower
.2 oz Star Anise
8 oz Clean-Tasting Vodka
Add all of the ingredients to a clean jar. Gently shake, Seal and store in a cool, dark place for 3-4 days gently shaking to infuse.
Cocktail recipes and instruction videos are created by Boozy Movies, LLC
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Tito's Vodka
Country: United States
ABV: 80 proof/40%
Brand: Fifth Generation, Inc.
Spirits Type: Vodka
Taste: Clean, Sweet, Pepper
Price Category: $
This vodka is certified as gluten-free because it is made from yellow corn which is considered a modern production of vodka. While made from yellow corn, its clean flavor and color can be attributed to the fact that it is distilled six times and traditional vodka is distilled three to four times.
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Lillet Blanc
Country: France
ABV: 34 proof/17% ABV
Brand: Pernod Ricard Group
Spirits Type: Amero, Aperitif & Vermouth
Taste: Honey Citrus Peel, Floral, Semi-Sweet
Price Category: $
Lillet is a blend of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc wine with 15% of fruit liqueurs flavored with oranges and herbs. Around 1985, the fortified wine was reformulated to reduce the quinine bitterness and balancing sweetness. This allows the spirit to highlight its floral and citrus notes as well as dryness from the Sauvignon Blanc.
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Creme De Menthe
Country: United States
ABV: 30 proof/15%
Brand: DeKuyper/Fortune Brands
Spirits Type: Liqueur/Cordials/Schnapps
Taste: Syrupy Sweet, Mint, Herbal, Spice
Price Category: $
A syrupy sweet liqueur with a strong mint flavor, lightly herbal. Chosen for its bright green color made by artificial food dyes.
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Grapefruit Oleo Saccharum
Made with grapefruit peels and sugar macerating together to extract the oil from the peels. This results in a floral, slightly bitter flavored syrup with no acidity. Peels from the saccharum can be sugared for candied lemon peel or used in garnishes.
To Make It:
4 oz Fresh, Clean Grapefruit Peels
4 oz Organic Cane Sugar
Combine Grapefruit Peels and Cane Sugar in a heavy duty resealable bag or resealable container. Muddle or massage until the oils start to release. Let it sit for 24 hours occasionally muddling or massaging every few hours. Strain out the liquid, store in an airtight container. Store peels in an airtight container. Refrigerate for longer storage.
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Salt/Saline
Salt is a great flavor changer. It can balance sweetness and bitterness, smoothing out a cocktail. It can also enhance citrus flavor and acidity without the need for more acid. It is most commonly used in rimming cocktail glasses, but a sprinkle in the cocktail shaker can really impact a cocktail. Make it into a saline solution to enhance stirred cocktails.
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Star Anise
A little bit goes a long way with this spice. Star Anise has a strong licorice flavor that is naturally sweet and brings out the flavor in fruits, especially citrus.
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Butterfly Pea Flower
Light in flavor, but high in color pay out. Butterfly pea flower usually works best as a cold infusion so as to leave any bitterness from the herb into the flower.
Hocus Pocus and the Boozy Art of Halloween Chaos: Witchcraft, Life Potions, and Sanderson Sister Mayhem
Hocus Pocus is Halloween nostalgia dipped in candle wax, graveyard fog, and pure chaotic camp, resurrecting three gloriously theatrical witches who treat immortality less like a dark art and more like a Broadway audition with a body count. When Bette Midler’s Winifred Sanderson storms back into Salem alongside her delightfully deranged sisters Mary and Sarah, the film spirals into a sugar-rush chase through trick-or-treating suburbia where curses, broomsticks, and talking black cats somehow feel weirdly cozy. The cocktails inspired by the film lean hard into that spooky whimsy, beginning with “Life Potion,” a hypnotic blend of anise-infused vodka, butterfly pea flower, Lillet Blanc, crème de menthe, and grapefruit oleo saccharum that glows like something stolen directly from the Sanderson spellbook moments before it starts bubbling on its own. Its counterpart, “The Sanderson Sisters,” trades ancient apothecary energy for creamy autumn indulgence, swirling apple brandy, crème de cacao, Cointreau, vanilla, and warm baking spice into a cocktail that tastes like Halloween night filtered through a haunted New England bakery. Like the movie itself, the drinks work because they balance menace with mischief, reminding you that the best Halloween stories aren’t really about fear — they’re about embracing the delicious weirdness lurking beneath the costumes, candlelight, and candy wrappers.
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