Midnight Margaritas

 From Practical Magic ... 

 

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There are many movies that I love revisiting during spooky season. The list is ridiculously long. There’s a boatload of classic horror films, a bunch of Stephen King adaptations, some Elvira, Hocus Pocus, The Craft, and maybe even some classic Halloween episodes of Buffy. But there are two films I never skip: The Rocky Horror Picture Show (rest in peace to Tim Curry, an absolute legend) and, of course, Practical Magic.

 

Practical Magic is a movie based on Alice Hoffman’s novel of the same name. It follows sisters Sally and Gillian Owens, two witches from a long line of magical women, as they navigate love, family, and a generations-old curse. Both the book and the film were formative for me at different points in my life, so it feels good to finally be tackling this one! Margaritas are mentioned in both the book and the film, but featured much more prominent in the film.

 

In the film, sisters Sally and Gillian bury Gillian’s abusive boyfriend, Jimmy Angelov, after Sally accidentally kills him with an overdose of belladonna. They later attempt to resurrect him with a forbidden spell, but when he returns violent and attacks Gillian, Sally kills him again and they bury him in the garden.

 

Unfortunately, it’s hard to kill someone who’s already dead. (What is dead may never die... wait, wrong thing.) As Jimmy’s presence starts to haunt the Owens sisters, the garden becomes wildly overgrown with roses, toads show up in ridiculous numbers, and a bottle of tequila, Jimmy’s poison of choice, mysteriously appears on the porch. Sally and Gillian’s aunties discover it and do what any sensible witches would do: turn it into Midnight Margaritas, a tradition in the Owens household.

 

The four women women dancing around the kitchen to Harry Nilsson's "Coconut" is an iconic film moment and once that's been seared into my brain for over 27 years. 

 

So, in honor of that, and with Practical Magic once again at the center of the cultural zeitgeist as we approach the highly anticipated sequel, here’s my take on the Midnight Margarita.

 

I wanted to take inspiration from the magical elements of the book and film and brew this cocktail with intention. Roses sprout from Jimmy’s grave, and roses are often associated with love, passion, healing, and protection. “Coconut” is the song that plays during one of the film’s most memorable scenes, and coconut is used in contemporary magical practices for protection and purification. Lime is associated with healing, love, and protection, while sea salt has long been used for cleansing and warding off unwanted energy. So, basically, this margarita is packed with enough good intentions to ward off a few terrible decisions. 

 

Bubble, bubble, toil and trouble! Let’s get witchy.

 

Ingredients

Serves 4 witches (or 1 small coven)

 

For the Rose-Lime Margarita Salt: 

• 3 tablespoons coarse sea salt
• 1 tablespoon dried culinary rose petals (crushed, plus more for garnish)
• 1 tablespoon lime zest (plus more for garnish) 

 

For the Midnight Margaritas: 

• 1 cup tequila
• 1/2 cup triple sec 
• 1/2 cup lime juice (plus more for the rim)
• 1/3 cup cream of coconut syrup
• 1/4 cup coconut milk 
• 1 teaspoon rose water 
• 4 cups ice 

 

 Directions:

1. In a small, shallow bowl, stir together the salt, crushed rose petals, and lime zest. 
2. In a separate shallow bowl, add enough lime juice to cover the bottom. Dip the rim of the serving glass into the lime juice, then dip it into the salt mixture, coating the rim evenly. Alternatively, run a lime wedge around the rim of the glass to moisten it, then dip it into the salt mixture. Set aside.
3. To a blender, add the tequila, triple sec, lime juice, cream of coconut syrup, coconut milk, rose water, and ice.
4. Blend on high speed until smooth, adding more ice to taste. 
5. Pour into the serving glass.
6. Garnish with additional crushed rose petals and lime zest. 

 

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