Enjoy this fun Hocus Pocus cocktail, inspired by a green witch’s brew and a Devil’s Margarita, for your next Halloween movie night or party!
It’s all a bunch of hocus pocus! Create a margarita fit for a Sanderson sister with this Hocus Pocus cocktail recipe! Made with tequila, limeade, and red wine, this layered drink is the perfect Halloween cocktail! It looks so much fun with a vivid green bottom layer and red top layer. All you need are a few simple ingredients and a cocktail shaker to make it yourself!
Enjoy this Hocus Pocus adult beverage while watching Hocus Pocus or your favorite Halloween movies on Disney Plus! Nothing helps get you into the Halloween spirit than a good movie and fun-themed drinks.
What Is This Hocus Pocus Cocktail?
This fun Hocus Pocus cocktail is a fun spin on the cocktail known as a Devil’s Margarita. It is a classic margarita with a red wine floater. This recipe substitutes limeade for fresh lime juice and includes a little green food coloring to amplify the color. The vivid green gives the cocktail a fun Halloween season appearance.
It was inspired by the cult classic Disney Halloween movie Hocus Pocus. The movie tells the tale of a teenage boy who lights the Black Flame candle on Halloween and brings the Sanderson witches back to life. The Sanderson sisters are played by Bette Midler (Winnie Sanderson), Sarah Jessica Parker (Sarah Sanderson), and Kathy Najimy (Mary Sanderson). Their iconic roles seem to grow more popular year after year. A sequel, Hocus Pocus 2, was released in 2022 in response to its popularity. If you are a fan of Hocus Pocus and margaritas, give this delicious drink a try!
Try a fun Black Magic Margarita – inspired by the drink at EPCOT in Walt Disney World!
Hocus Pocus Cocktail Ingredients
- Tequila – Use silver tequila for this cocktail. Silver tequila has a stronger, clearer taste than gold tequila. And it won’t change the color of the drink.
- Triple Sec – This orange liquor enhances the citrus flavors of the margarita. It also adds a touch of sweetness. Substitute triple sec for Cointreau or any other orange liquor.
- Limeade – Rather than lime juice, use limeade for this spooky margarita. It has a more mellow lime flavor and is sweeter. The limeade flavor pairs better with the red wine. And it dilutes the potency of the cocktail. Limeade also excludes the need for simple syrup.
- Green Food Coloring – Make this cocktail look extra festive for Halloween with a touch of green food coloring. Or combine a drop of blue and a drop of yellow food colorings if you don’t have green. Be sure to use liquid food coloring and not gel for drinks.
- Red Wine – Top this cocktail with a red wine floater. Use a fruity medium-bodied red wine, such as a Merlot, Shiraz, or a blend containing those wines. The fruitiness pairs well with the citrus of the limeade and doesn’t overwhelm the drink with its flavor.
How to Make This Hocus Pocus Margarita
This perfect Hocus Pocus cocktail looks festive and layering a drink can be a little intimidating, but I promise it’s easy to make! It’s the perfect cocktail for a casual night with a scary movie or a spooky season Halloween party!
In a cocktail shaker, combine limeade, tequila, triple sec, and green food coloring. Stir to mix and disperse the food coloring. Add a handful of ice to the shaker. Then firmly place the lid on the cocktail shaker. Shake for 30 seconds to combine the cocktail ingredients and chill them.
Strain the margarita into a glass. Then use a spoon to slowly and gently pour the red wine over the top of the margarita.
The result is a fun vivid green drink that looks like a Sanderson sisters potion, with a dark red layer over the top. Garnish it with something fun, like edible glitter, and candy eyes or worms on a food pick! Dry ice would also be fun, but I don’t have the patience for that!
I don’t recommend adding salt to the rim of the glass. It does not taste great with the red wine!
Tips to “Float” the Red Wine
Floating, also known as layering, cocktails is tricky. If you pour too quickly or heavily the wine just falls to the bottom of the glass. Then it blends with the margarita a creates a muddied cocktail. Here are a few tips I have for creating a layered drink.
Use a Spoon – If you watch cocktail videos or a bartender in a restaurant create a layered cocktail, then you’ve probably seen them use an upside-down spoon. But, as a novice at-home cocktail creator, I could not figure out how to do this properly! It’s much easier to use the spoon right-side up! I slowly poured the wine into the spoon and let it gently trickle over. Then I slowly poured out the remaining wine left inside the spoon.
Find a Pour Spout – Bartenders use special spouts to pour liquor for drinks. This makes a huge difference for layering! Add a spout to the top of the wine bottle so the wine slowly pours into the spoon. This makes it easier to control the speed and volume of the wine being poured. I have several syrup bottles (linked below) for storing homemade flavored syrup. The pour spout from one of those bottles fits the top of a wine bottle perfectly!
What Type of Glass Do I Use?
- Margarita glass – Margarita glasses are ideal for this layered Hocus Pocus cocktail. They have a stem and a wide mouth. A wide-mouth glass allows the alcohol to “breathe” or disperse more evenly. It’s also easier to see the layers in a clear stemmed glass. Hold a margarita glass by the stem so the cocktail doesn’t warm from your hands.
- Coupe Glass – Not everyone has a set of margarita glasses at home. So a coupe glass (or martini glass) will also work for this layered margarita. Be sure it is a clear glass so you can see the layers.
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Can I Make This Margarita in Advance?
Yes and no. The margarita base is great for making ahead of time! Combine all of the ingredients. Then store the margarita in an airtight jar or glass bottle until it is time to serve.
When it’s time to serve the Hocus Pocus cocktail, pour the margarita into glasses. Then slowly add the red wine floater to each drink. Garnish and serve!
This delicious Hocus Pocus drink recipe is the perfect way to celebrate your witchy side on Halloween night. It’s also a good cocktail to enjoy while watching your favorite Halloween movie!
More Fun Drinks for Fall and Halloween
- Black Magic Margarita
- Pumpkin Sangria
- Pumpkin Spice Margarita
- Bloody Martini
Hocus Pocus Cocktail
Equipment
- cocktail shaker
- bar spoon
- pour spout
Ingredients
- 4 oz tequila
- 2 oz triple sec
- 4 oz limeade
- 1 drop green food coloring
- 1 oz red wine
Instructions
- Combine limeade, tequila, triple sec, and green food coloring in a cocktail shaker.
- Add a handful of ice to the shaker and firmly place the lid on the cocktail shaker. Shake for 30 seconds to combine the cocktail ingredients and chill them.
- Strain the margarita into a glass.
- Use a spoon to slowly and gently pour the red wine over the top of the margarita.
