These enchanting Midnight Margaritas are inspired by the movie Practical Magic. They combine classic ingredients with violet and blackberry.
Create a magical Midnight Margarita that tastes like it’s right out of Practical Magic. This delicious purple margarita was inspired by the Midnight Margaritas scene from the movie. It combines sweet blackberries with a violet simple syrup in a traditional margarita. You’ll be bewitched by the flavors and ready for a Practical Magic movie night.
What are Midnight Margaritas?
This Midnight Margarita recipe is inspired by the cult classic movie Practical Magic. The movie is about two witch sisters, Sally and Gillian, played by Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman. Their family is cursed and the men they love always die. Sally returns home with her two young daughters after the death of her husband. Meanwhile, her sister is in an abusive relationship that ends in an accidental death and possession of an evil spirit.
In the movie, Sally and Gillian live with their two eccentric witch aunts who raised them after their parents’ deaths. They have various traditions and rituals, but they aren’t all witchcraft. One of them is drinking margaritas at midnight and dancing around the witch’s kitchen. There isn’t an official Midnight Margarita recipe unless you count ingredients like tongue of dog, wool of bat, or eye of newt. This margarita combines tequila and lime (regular lime, not Barbados lime) with sweet blackberries and violet syrup. The floral syrup invokes the gardening and relationship with the earth that Sally specifically has in the film. I also added a salt and lavender rim because there is a famous quote from the movie about throwing salt over your left shoulder and planting lavender for luck.
Midnight Margarita 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.
- Lime Juice – Margaritas always require freshly squeezed lime juice for a bit of acidity and flavor.
- Blackberry Syrup – This sweet and tart syrup adds a rich and fruity flavor to the cocktail. Use a bottled blackberry syrup or make your syrup at home.
- Violet Syrup – This margarita needed a floral aspect to capture the essence of Practical Magic. I chose violet syrup because the flavor isn’t overpowering and the color is beautiful. Brands like Monin and Torani both sell Violet syrup online. World Market also carries a large variety of Torani floral flavors in store. If you have access to edible violet flowers or dried flowers, you could make homemade violet syrup with a cup of sugar and water in a small saucepan.
How to Add a Salt and Lavender Rim
Many margaritas have a salted or sugared rim. Adding salt or sugar to the rims of your glasses enhances the flavor of a good margarita. It also adds a fun and beautiful touch to the drink. This cocktail has a salt and dried lavender rim.
First, run a lime wedge along a portion of the glass. This creates a wet and sticky surface for the salt to stick to. You can also use agave nectar or syrup along the rim of your glass.
Next, combine salt and dried lavender in a small bowl. Margarita salt is a coarse salt made of bigger salt flakes. So they are more visible. It also has a better flavor. Sprinkle the combination of dried lavender and salt over the sticky section of the glass. Since lavender has such a strong scent and flavor I didn’t want to cover the entire rim with it.
How to Make Midnight Margaritas
Create these Midnight Margaritas with a cocktail shaker at home, no witch’s cauldron required!
Step One – Combine tequila, triple sec, lime juice, blackberry syrup, and violet syrup in a cocktail shaker.
Step Two – 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.
Step Three – Strain the margarita into a margarita glass or cocktail glass with ice.
Step Four – Garnish with fresh blackberries.
What Type of Glass Do I Use?
- Margarita glass – Margarita glasses have a stem and a wide mouth. The stem allows you to hold the cocktail without it melting from the warmth of your hands.
- Short tumbler – Not everyone has a set of margarita glasses at home. So a short tumbler, or fun cocktail glass, is also great for a margarita on the rocks. I prefer my margaritas over ice with a straw!
Can I Make These Midnight Margaritas In a Big Batch?
Margaritas are the perfect big-batch cocktail and you can make them in advance! Multiply the ingredients by the number of guests you wish to serve. Then mix all the ingredients, without ice, in a large pitcher. Keep the pitcher in the refrigerator until it’s time to serve drinks. Then guests may serve themselves from the pitcher.
You may store this cocktail in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week. However, the flavor profile will change the longer you store it!
These Practical Magic Midnight Margaritas are great for a Halloween girls’ night or a Halloween cocktail for movie night. And remember, plant lavender for luck and fall in love whenever you can!
More Fun Halloween Margaritas
Midnight Margaritas
Equipment
- cocktail shaker
Ingredients
- 4 oz tequila
- 2 oz triple sec
- 2 oz lime juice
- 2 oz blackberry syrup
- 1 oz violet syrup
Instructions
- Combine tequila, triple sec, lime juice, blackberry syrup, and violet syrup in a cocktail shaker.
- Add a handful of ice to the shaker. Firmly place the lid on the cocktail shaker. Shake for 30 seconds to combine and chill the ingredients.
- Strain the margarita into a margarita glass.
- Garnish with fresh blackberries.
