It’s that time of year—and we’re not talking about summer (or Summerween): ’Tis the season for the infamous midnight margarita to start making its rounds on social media. This year, though, the midnight margarita is an even more popular Halloween drink than ever before.
If you’re not familiar with the fall favorite drink, you might at least be familiar with the fall film that inspired it: Practical Magic. Starring Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman as witch sisters harnessing their powers, it may have flopped in the box office—but it’s conjured up a dedicated following in the years since its release in 1998 (so much so that a sequel is in the works). Fortunately, this movie rises from the dead every Halloween to grace the internet with a particular potion: margaritas.
Midnight margaritas are a Practical Magic staple. If you’ve ever wondered what witches are actually cooking up in their cauldrons (read: blenders), it’s a simple mix of tequila, lime, and salt.
Maybe you were imagining something a little darker, like a brew of some kind of black cocktail with dry ice smoke. But the midnight margarita received its eerie name because, well, it’s a margarita that’s served at midnight. So, if you want to follow the real recipe, you’d better be prepared to stay up late.
Though the original recipe from the movie is super simple, many fans of Practical Magic enjoy adding a few extra enchantments—excuse us, enhancements. Lavender and rosemary are two cocktail staples many viewers turn to because of their important roles in the movie: keeping rosemary by the garden gate and planting lavender for good luck. To make your midnight margaritas a little more spellbound, you may want to incorporate rosemary sprigs or even lavender syrups.
Some home mixologists are also aiming to make their midnight margaritas a little bit darker in color to better fit the name. If you’re not planning on consuming yours at midnight, you might as well literally darken things up a little bit, right?
Dark syrups and berries can change the flavor of your drink and make the shade richer. If you’re really looking to go for a full-on mystical theme, activated charcoal will turn it pitch black (and possibly freak out your party guests for a minute).
But the best part about midnight margaritas isn’t their color or flavor—it’s the joy of drinking them in the kitchen at midnight surrounded by a group of friends or family (or your witch sisters). What’s a better Halloween tradition than that?
