Tis Hallowe’en, And in this brew, The witch will stir, Good luck to you! Are you brave enough to drink The Witch’s Heart? I created this cocktail for a perfect easy to make, whimsical Halloween cocktail, or for any themed party for that matter!
Now you can make your own homemade flavored shimmer liqueur! Check out my video and recipes for 5 fruit / herb flavored liqueurs and the recipe for homemade Viniq!
I created this original recipe for The Witch’s Heart cocktail back in 2015! Since then, a viral video and many Halloweens later, this is one of the most popular Halloween cocktails on the internet.
Many hundreds of thousands of my lovely readers have made this fun, whimsical drink for Halloween to share with family and friends!
Why I love this recipe
- The witch’s heart cocktail is an original creation that I concocted myself! Many different variations of this cocktail have since been shared on the internet, but this original cocktail is still just as spectacular!
- I am also the original creator of homemade shimmery liqueur, which I developed while trying to discover the secret of and mimic the popular Viniq shimmery liqueur that was widely available in stores at the time. Viniq has since been discontinued since 2019/2020. This cocktail uses that delicious and magical homemade shimmery liqueur to brilliant effect!
- This is a beautiful, fruity cocktail, that is also super simple to make!
- Visually, this purple cocktail has everything. Shimmery swirls, smoke, and bright and spooky colors!
- I’ve made some minor changes since first sharing this recipe, so that the cocktail now tastes even better, and is more accessible! (Especially since the Viniq liqueur is now discontinued.)
I love Halloween! I’m still mortally afraid of ghosts, although I do watch horror movies. Logically, I know that ghosts are fiction, but I can’t help but be afraid. Thankfully, I do also love a good scare, especially during Halloween!
I was also partly inspired to do this Halloween cocktail idea by the TV show Once Upon A Time. I loved watching this show, and love to depict potions and magic spells in swirls of shimmering light and smoke.
And, of course, who can forget Regina’s (when she used to be evil!) fondness for ripping out hearts. The result was the combination of homemade blackberry shimmery liqueur (purple shimmery liqueur). Combined with apple liqueur or apple juice, lemon juice and grenadine, and voilà – The Witch’s Heart Cocktail is born!
A dark magical potion for all the witches, monsters, vampires, werewolves and other extra natural entities out there!
If you like shimmery cocktails, then you will LOVE this Color Changing Shimmery Cocktail – The Phoenix! It’s a gin and elderflower cocktail that magically changes color! (No food coloring and the spirit is ready overnight.)
A note about this Witch’s Heart Cocktail
When I created this Halloween cocktail recipe in 2015, I was inspired by Viniq to create a homemade viniq that is accessible to everyone, which you can find here.
Since Viniq has been discontinued, I am making a few changes to the recipe and providing ingredient substitutions so that you can easily make this gorgeous, magical cocktail. But as mentioned in Mashed.com, I was able to share how to make a homemade version very easily.
So now, this vodka Halloween cocktail is more accessible, easy to make, and even more delicious!
It looks so mesmerizing, it’s the perfect witch’s brew!
Ingredients to make Witch’s Heart Cocktail
- Purple shimmery vodka (blackberry flavored)
- Vodka
- Blackberries
- Purple luster dust OR pearl luster dust
- Simple syrup
- Apple liqueur (of your choice – not sour apple)
- Lemon juice
- Grenadine
Ingredients substitutions
- Instead of blackberries, you can use blueberries to make the purple shimmery liquor to make this purple cocktail.
- I have also made this cocktail with “homemade viniq”. Since homemade viniq is sweeter than blackberry vodka, and the flavors are different, it will also change the flavor of the cocktail. You can make homemade original viniq, or other flavored shimmery liqueurs here too!
- If you cannot find apple liqueur, you can use apple brandy and add extra simple syrup to make it sweeter (optional).
- It is harder to find apple liqueur, and apple brandy can be very expensive, so I also use apple juice instead sometimes.
- You can adjust the sweetness of the cocktail with the simple syrup, which is a combination of water and sugar at a 1:1 ratio by weight.
- Instead of grenadine, you can make a syrup with pomegranate juice and sugar too. Just combine pomegranate juice and sugar and simmer until it thickens into a syrup.
See here for the recipe for purple shimmery liqueur (just like purple Viniq in terms of color) that’s infused with blackberries (and 5 other fruit/herb infused flavored shimmery liqueurs!).
How to make The Witch’s Heart cocktail
Make the blackberry shimmer liqueur.
You can make this about a week ahead of time. However, if you do have a sous vide, this blackberry infusion can be made in 2 hours!
Blackberry infused liqueur – in the fridge
Place the blackberry and vodka in a glass jar with a sealable lid. Give it a gentle shake and place it in the fridge for about 1 week. You can easily use fresh OR frozen blackberries for this.
When the vodka has turned a dark purple color, strain the vodka through a fine cheesecloth sieve to remove the fruits and any other impurities. The infused vodka should look purple, but very clear.
Blackberry infused liqueur – in the sous vide
Set your sous vide to 145°F (62°C) with a water bath.
Place the blackberry and vodka in a ziploc bag. Seal the bags after removing as much air as possible. For ziploc bags, use the water immersion technique.
Place the bag in the heated water bath and let it sit there for 2 hours (or up to 3 hours).
Strain the liquid.
Finishing the liqueur
To add sweetness to make this into a liqueur, heat 200 g of sugar with about 200 mL of water. When the sugar has dissolved, let the simple syrup cool down until just warm.
Add between ¼ to ⅓ cup of simple syrup per 1 cup of infused vodka.
Add pearl luster dust OR purple luster dust to the liqueur to give the liquid a shimmery look. For every 2 cups, I only use ¼ tsp or slightly less. You do not have to add too much to get the shimmery effect in this purple cocktail.
Assembling the Witch’s Heart cocktail
Place the shimmery blackberry liqueur in a cocktail shaker. Add the apple juice or apple liqueur / brandy, and lemon juice. Then add a generous amount of ice and shake or stir to combine.
Strain the cocktail into cocktail glasses, preferably martini glasses or coupe with a narrow bottom. Add a few drops of grenadine to each glass. The grenadine should sink to the bottom.
Garnish with berries and a stir stick.
When serving, allow your guests to stir the drink to watch the shimmery swirls.
You can also add powdered or finely crushed dry ice for the smoky effect! Dry ice also causes bubbling in the cocktail which create the swirls too. But please be cautioned before using dry ice.
Note about using dry ice
Dry ice should not be consumed, and it must completely evaporate / melt before you can consume your cocktail. Completely crushed dry ice will evaporate and disappear much faster than larger chunks.
Dry ice is simply solid CO2 gas and it goes straight from solid to gas without a liquid phase in the middle (this is called sublimation). So, the smoke effect you see here is the solid dry ice evaporating. Wait until the smoke effect stops, because then you know the dry ice has completely evaporated, and the drink is now completely safe to drink. Just crush the dry ice (into a powder). I add the dry ice into an ice bag and crush it using an ice crushing mallet or similar tool.
You can add a little to the bottom of your cocktail glass to give it that spooky, smoky effect when you pour the drink, and maybe add another touch of powdered dry ice after that for a smoky effect that lasts a bit longer. But you should NOT swallow or ingest bits of dry ice. Wait until the dry ice has completely evaporated. This happens fast, and it leaves no residue behind as it evaporates.
And ALWAYS use gloves when handling dry ice. Never touch it with bare hands. Make sure dry ice is used in a ventilated space. Make sure the cocktails are used in an open setting to avoid CO2 build up.
You guys are going to love this spectacular yet simple Halloween cocktail. It’s so easy to make and you can adapt it to your taste absolutely any way you want. Plus it looks so gorgeous you could make this Halloween themed cocktail for any type of themed party, really!
I have made this Halloween cocktail using Viniq as well, and the flavor profile does change when you use Viniq as opposed to homemade blackberry liqueur (you can make original viniq OR make flavored viniq at home too!). Every time I walk past the liqueur section in the store, I linger a little longer in front of the Viniq. And every time, I pick it up, give it a couple of swirls to mix it and then put it back. 🙂
That beautiful purple color with the shimmery liquid just calls out to me. It’s what inspired me to create my own version at home, and create purple blackberry shimmery liqueur right at home. It looks so mesmerizing, it’s the perfect witch’s brew!
You can make this with Viniq, if you prefer (update as of 2023 – this is no longer possible because Viniq has been discontinued). However, the flavor of this purple cocktail will change with Viniq. Plus, I am aware that not everyone has access to Viniq.
An optional choice would be to mix in some strained raspberry or strawberry puree. That could really kick up those flavors too.
The blackberry liqueur is delicious and sweet on its own, so paired with that, the apple brandy gives it even more of a fruity flavor. But you can pair it with any kind of flavored vodka that you like, to give it that extra boost of flavor.
I’m no mixologist, but this was so easy to put together and the flavors work beautifully. What I love the most though is how this Halloween cocktail drink looks. The shimmery purple with the “witch’s heart” at the bottom is just so elegant. And eerie.
RECIPE VIDEO
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The Witch’s Heart – Halloween Cocktail
Ingredients:
Blackberry shimmery liqueur (will make about 1¼ cup)
- 1 cup vodka 240 mL
- 6 blackberries fresh or frozen is fine
- ¼ cup simple syrup 60 mL (see recipe notes)
- ¼ tsp food grade purple luster dust or pearl luster dust (I recommend purple luster dust)
- 2 drops purple food color optional (only use it if you use pearl luster dust, and IF you prefer)
Witches heart cocktail (2 cocktails)
- 3 fl oz Homemade Blackberry Shimmery Liqueur 90 mL, chilled
- 1.5 fl oz apple juice 44 mL, chilled (or you can use apple liqueur too)
- 1 fl oz lemon juice 30 mL
- ¾ fl oz simple syrup adjust to your taste (add more for a sweeter drink and less for a drink that isn't very sweet)
- 2 tsp grenadine 10 mL, 5 mL / 1 tsp per cocktail
- Ice to chill the drink (make sure you have quite a bit of ice to quickly chill the drink).
- Dry ice finely crushed (optional)
- 2 Martini glasses to serve
Instructions:
Blackberry shimmery liqueur
- Place the vodka in a glass jar (with a tight fitting lid).1 cup vodka
- INFUSE IN THE FRIDGE – Add the blackberries to the vodka. Close the lid and let it infuse for up to 1 week in the fridge for best results (at minimum 3 days).6 blackberries
- INFUSE WITH SOUS VIDE – Set up your sous vide to 130°F / 54°C. Place the vodka and blackberries in a freezer / ziploc bag that has a tight seal. Close the bag using the water displacement technique. Submerge the bag in the sous vide and let it infuse for about 2 hours. Remove from the sous vide and allow to cool down before using / storage.
- Strain the infused vodka into a different jar through a cheesecloth-lined sieve and discard the blackberries. DO NOT push the blackberries through the sieve. The vodka should be purple with good clarity (no cloudiness).
- Add enough simple syrup to make it sweet to your liking. I prefer to add between ¼ – ⅓ cup per 1 cup of vodka.¼ cup simple syrup
- Add about ⅛ tsp (or even less) of the purple luster dust or pearl luster dust, and mix to combine. The liqueur should have a shimmer when stirred. Add another pinch (up to a total of ¼ tsp) if needed, but you shouldn't need to.¼ tsp food grade purple luster dust
- If you use purple luster dust, the liqueur should be purple in color. If you use pearl luster dust, the color might be a pinkish purple color. You can leave it as is, or add a couple of drops of purple food coloring to get a more deep purple color if desired (optional).2 drops purple food color
Witch's heart cocktail
- Add about ½ – 1 tsp of powdered dry ice to the bottom of the serving glass (optional). This is only needed if you want to create the smoky effect while pouring the drink.Dry ice
- Place the apple juice, lemon juice, purple shimmery liqueur, and simple syrup in a shaker. Add a generous amount of ice and shake for a few seconds to chill the drink. (Adding more ice will prevent the ice from melting and diluting the drink.) Add more simple syrup only if you prefer.3 fl oz Homemade Blackberry Shimmery Liqueur, 1.5 fl oz apple juice, 1 fl oz lemon juice, ¾ fl oz simple syrup, Ice
- Strain the drink into a martini glass.2 Martini glasses to serve
- Pour 1 tsp of grenadine syrup per drink, about an inch from the surface of the drink. The grenadine should sink to the bottom, creating a "bleeding" effect.2 tsp grenadine
- Add about ½ tsp of powdered dry ice on top and serve with a stirrer, so that your guests can stir the "potion" to create that shimmery, smoky effect.Dry ice
Video:
Tips & Tricks
Note about the shimmery liqueur
You can make this cocktail with purple shimmery liqueur and mix it with some white moscato wine. Click here for the recipe to make purple shimmery liqueur at home. Viniq is no longer available in stores.Note about simple syrup
Simple syrup is made by heating a 1:1 ratio (by weight) of water and sugar. 200 g water + 200 g sugar, heated gently until the sugar dissolves. Let it cool, and then you can use it in drinks.NOTE ABOUT DRY ICE
ONLY ADD COMPLETELY CRUSHED DRY ICE. Dry ice is simply solid CO2 gas and it goes straight from solid to gas without a liquid phase in the middle (this is called sublimation). So the smoke effect you see here is the solid dry ice evaporating. Wait until the smoke effect stops, because then you know the dry ice has completely evaporated, and the drink is now completely safe to drink. Just crush the dry ice (to a powder). I buy pellets OR add the dry ice into an ice bag and crush it using an ice crushing mallet or similar tool. You can add a little to the bottom of your cocktail glass to give it that spooky, smoky effect when you pour the drink, and maybe add another touch of powdered dry ice after that for a smoky effect that lasts a bit longer. But you should NOT swallow or ingest bits of dry ice. Wait until the dry ice has completely evaporated. This happens fast, and it leaves no residue behind as it evaporates. The powdered dry ice evaporates even faster. And ALWAYS use gloves when handling dry ice. Never touch it with bare hands. Make sure dry ice is used in a ventilated space. Make sure the cocktails are used in an open setting to avoid CO2 build up.Note about other shimmery liqueur options
If you do not have enough time to make blackberry shimmery liqueur (at least 3-4 days for the infusion step) but still want to make some magical cocktails for Halloween, scroll down to the bottom of this post to see a list of magical cocktails made with COLOR CHANGING spirits (which only need an overnight infusion).To make this cocktail in bulk (for a crowd)
You can make all the components of this Halloween cocktail in bulk (except for the addition of grenadine). So make a large batch, but don’t add the grenadine. Then, once served into individual glasses for your guests, add the grenadine just before serving. More Halloween recipes Hocus pocus cocktail, Unicorn blood cocktail, Witches brew drink, Halloween monster cookies, Bleeding black Halloween cupcakes, Halloween rocky road slices, Spooky chorizo hand piesNutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
And the dry ice gives it that final spooky touch. This is optional (though highly recommended if you’re going all Halloween on this one), but if you do use dry ice remember to ADD COMPLETELY CRUSHED DRY ICE ONLY.
Just crush the dry ice (to a powder) and add a little to the bottom of your cocktail glass to give it that spooky smoky effect when you pour the drink, and maybe add another touch of powdered dry ice after that for a smoky effect that lasts just a little bit longer. You don’t want to swallow bits of dry ice though, so the powdered dry ice “melts” much faster.
So remember this Halloween,
The witch is brewing a magic spell,
It’s Halloween night and monsters dwell,
Her pot is boiling and many spells she will weave,
To cast them on all the children on Halloween eve.
– Joe
More Halloween recipes
- The phoenix cocktail – Shimmery color changing gin Halloween cocktail
- Color changing cocktails
- Color changing alcohol
- All natural magical galaxy lemonade
- Bloody red velvet hot chocolate
- Brownie bottomed pumpkin cheesecake
- Flaming dragon’s blood cocktail
- Spooky chorizo hand pies
- Black Halloween cupcakes
- Halloween monster cookies
Lindsay says
Hi! What are the pros and cons of using Apple juice vs Apple brandy? Also, what apple brandy would you recommend?
Dini says
Hi Lindsay
Using Apple brandy makes the drink less sweet and stronger. Apple juice makes it sweeter and not as high in alcohol content.
I used EJ apple brandy and I haven’t used other brands of apple brandy, so I can’t recommend a different brand.
I find that I do prefer the apple juice version because I do like a sweeter cocktail. Another option is to use an apple liqueur because that will add sweetness to the cocktail too.
I hope that helps
Noelle Caldwell says
Can this be served in a punch bowl?
Dini says
Hi Noelle
You can serve this in a punch bowl if you like. However, it can be a little strong for a punch bowl drink. I recommend adding some sparkling lemonade or lemon flavored sparkling water to make it less strong and sippable.
However, please note that you won’t have the same red to purple ombre color and look in the drink because the grenadine will have already been added to the drink. You can choose to add the grenadine individually to each glass as people serve themselves for that visual effect, but that might be a little cumbersome.
I hope that helps!
Kathy says
Loved this and it was delicious! The only think was by blackberry simple syrup didn’t get as purple as yours. But it was still an awesome cocktail!
lakemama says
Is this super sweet? Can’t handle super sweet martinis
elaine says
helloo. where did you get the little potion bottles??
Dini says
Hi Elaine
I got the little round bottle from a thrift shop! 🙂 It definitely is very cute!
The swing top bottles were bought from Amazon.
I hope that helps!
Angie Haney says
Trying recipe on Halloween
Hannah says
I have some friends who can’t have anything apple, or there an alternative to the apple brandy or apple vodka that you would recommend?
Dini says
Hi Hannah
You could change the cocktail to lemon and blackberry cocktail and use strained lemon juice and regular brandy instead.
I haven’t tried it myself though, so you may need to adjust the sweetness level to your preference.
Hope that helps!
Cait says
Do you think I could modify this to create it as a large batch?
Dini says
Hi Cait
The base of the cocktail can be made in a large batch, but the grenadine has to be added individually to create the “heart” effect.
I hope that helps
Michele says
Can’t wait to try this one!!