Polyjuice Potion Cocktail

This color-changing, Harry Potter-inspired Polyjuice Potion cocktail is made with lemon, gin and butterfly pea powder for natural food coloring. The acid from the lemon juice turns the butterfly pea powder from a vibrant royal blue to a deep purple...bewitching to say the least!

I'm probably one of the biggest Harry Potter nerds you'll ever meet. Seriously, ask me any Harry Potter trivia question. I've read the entire series at least 10+ times (realistically way more), most recently this summer.

For me, reading Harry Potter is an anxiety-reliever. No matter how many times I read the books, they're just as magical! Call me crazy, but they never get old and they're always a cure for troubled times. (2020 is certainly one of those times.)

This Polyjuice Potion cocktail is admittedly nowhere near as gross as it's depicted in the movies and books. That being said, we were inspired by its magical color-changing effect.

In this case, lemon juice is the catalyst for the color change (instead of essence of Crabbe and Goyle). Slightly more palatable, agreed?

Give this magical potion a try for Halloween! You can even make a alcoholic version for kids (just omit the gin and St. Germain.

What is butterfly pea powder?

Butterfly pea powder is derived from butterfly pea flowers, native to Southeast Asia. The flower is used both dried and fresh as a vibrant natural food and beverage dye.

The color is a stunning, deep royal blue and the tea itself from brewed butterfly pea flowers is similar to an herbal black tea.

When butterfly pea powder is combined with acid like lemon juice, it changes into a vibrant purple (and then pink, depending on how much acid is added).

You can purchase dried butterfly pea buds or butterfly pea powder, which is what we use here. It's easiest to order online (we get ours from Suncore Foods!). It's so much fun to use in a range of recipes, like smoothie bowls, pancakes, etc.

Ingredients

Here's what you'll need to make these polyjuice potion cocktails:

• Gin: can also substitute with vodka if preferred.
• St. Germain: any type of elderflower liqueur works in this cocktail. It's technically an optional ingredient, but adds SO much flavor!
• Sparkling water: plain sparkling water is perfect, but you can also use lemon or another complementary flavor.
• Lemon juice: freshly squeezed is always best!
• Simple syrup: store-bought is perfectly fine, but we've also included instructions below on making it homemade.
• Butterfly pea powder: read up more on this vibrant natural food dye above! You can order online here.

Instructions

First, add the butterfly pea powder to the sparkling water and whisk until dissolved. It will fizz up a bit, so use a tall glass or liquid measuring cup so you don't make a mess.

Next, fill a cocktail shaker halfway with ice and add the gin, St. Germain and simple syrup. Shake vigorously for 10 seconds. Add in the sparkling water mixture and shake gently for a few seconds, just to combine, then pour into a glass over ice.

Slowly pour in lemon juice, then stir and watch your cocktail turn from vibrant blue into a deep purple/pink!

Homemade simple syrup

No simple syrup? It's incredibly easy to make from scratch with just two ingredients.

Add an equal amount of sugar and water to a saucepan and bring to a simmer, heating until the sugar dissolves. Remove from heat, then let cool.

You can store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 6 months.

More Halloween recipes to try:

• The Upside Down Cocktail
• Homemade Snickers Bars
• Black Heart Daiquiri
• Mini Almond Joy Bites
• Chocolate Covered Apple Slices
• Halloween Rice Krispie Treats

If you make this color-changing Polyjuice Potion Cocktail, we’d love for you to leave a comment and rating below! We also love to see your creations on Instagram – tag us at @crowded_kitchen so we can see what you’ve been cooking.

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