Midnight Margaritas

 From Practical Magic ... 

 

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There are so many movies I love revisiting during spooky season that my list is ridiculously long. There's a ton of classic horror, some Stephen King adaptations, Elvira, Hocus Pocus, The Craft, and maybe even a few classic Buffy Halloween episodes. 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.

 

Based on Alice Hoffman’s novel of the same name, Practical Magic 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 books and the film were formative for me at different points in my life, so it feels good to finally tackle this one!

 

Margaritas appear in both, but they play a much bigger role in the film. After Sally accidentally kills Gillian’s abusive boyfriend, Jimmy Angelov, with an overdose of belladonna, the sisters attempt to resurrect him with a forbidden spell. Naturally, that goes terribly. Jimmy returns even more violent than before, forcing Sally to kill him again before the sisters bury him in the garden. Whoops!

 

Unfortunately, Jimmy doens't stay dead and his presence begins to haunt the Owens sisters. Roses run wild in the garden, toads appear in ridiculous numbers, and a bottle of tequila (Jimmy’s poison of choice) mysteriously shows up on the porch. The sisters’ aunties discover it and do what any sensible witches would do: turn it into Midnight Margaritas!

 

The four women dancing around the kitchen to Harry Nilsson’s “Coconut” is one of the film’s most iconic moments, and it’s been seared into my brain for over 27 years.

 

So, in honor of that scene, and with Practical Magic back at the center of the cultural zeitgeist ahead of its highly anticipated sequel, here’s my take on the Midnight Margarita.

 

I wanted to draw on the magical elements of the book and film and brew this cocktail with intention. Roses sprout from Jimmy’s grave, and roses are associated with love, passion, healing, and protection. Coconut, featured in the song that soundtracks the film’s most memorable kitchen scene, and is used in some 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.

 

Basically, this margarita is packed with enough good intentions to ward off one or two 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: 

• 2 tablespoons coarse sea salt
• 1 teaspoon dried culinary rose petals (crushed, plus more for garnish)
• 1 teaspoon 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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