Hocus Pocus: Witches Return for a Night of Spooky Mischief; Inspiring Two Cocktails

Three witches have found the spell for lasting life and youthful looks and that requires the life-force of children.  In 1693 Salem, Massachusettes, they are apprehended by the townsfolk but before they are hung, they curse a boy to live forever as a black cat and suspend themselves in a black-flamed candle that must be lit by a virgin on all Hallow's Eve during a full moon to bring them back.  Three centuries later, a family moves from California to Salem and teenaged Max Dennisen (Omri Katz), does not believe in the folklore and decides to light the candle on Halloween during a full moon to prove it.  The witches burst in, and need children to make the Life Potion needed to complete their revival spell.  Winifred (Bette Midler), immediately looks for her trusty spell book while Mary (Kathy Najimy) sniffs out Max's sister Dani (Thora Birch) and Sarah (Sarah Jessica Parker) danced around with a fun quirkiness that makes you almost like these fiendish witches.  With the help Max's crush, Allison (Vinessa Shaw), the kids escape the witches and the chase is on for the witches to find children and are deceived because they are all in costume and the kids are trying to alert the adults and foil the witches' plot to regain life by sucking it out of Dani.   

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! 

The Sanderson Sisters is more simply inspired by their fun personas than by scouring 1600's apothecary books.  We wanted a delicious, creamy cocktail that is great for the fall, or for while out on the town terrorizing children. Equal parts for the witches: Apple Brandy for Mary a warming and sweet brandy with a distinctive apple fragrance and flavor, White Creme De Cacao for Sarah, the light skinned witch that knew just how to lure all of the children on Halloween (like a chocolate bar) , Cointreau the slightly bitter, but in charge citruis liqueur that balances and brings out all of the flavors, just like Winifred in Hocus Pocus, Half and half for the Full Moon on All Hallows Eve, Vanilla Extract to add a floral richness to the cocktail, Dash Orange Bitters to brighten the Apple Brandy, and finally, garnished with Nutmeg and Cinnamon to give it those delicious fall flavors.  It is definitely a delicious cocktail to sip on while greeting all of those Trick-or-Treaters or to put a spell on all of the adults at the party!