A spectacular cocktail recipe that is magical enough for Halloween, and delicious enough for any time of the year!
Color changing shimmery cocktails
I first discovered and shared with you guys how to make shimmery cocktails (homemade viniq), and then I also shared how to make color changing alcohol, followed by a few super fun color changing cocktail recipes (galaxy cocktails). If you thought I was done with these color changing, shimmery, fun cocktails, I’ve got another one coming at you today! 🙂 And I’m totally in love with this one. It’s a magical color changing AND shimmery cocktail, which I like to call The Phoenix Cocktails! Technically, it’s a sweet, tangy gin and elderflower cocktail, but I like the sound of a phoenix cocktail better. Don’t you?
Fantastic Halloween cocktail
It may not be particularly spooky, but it’s definitely magical enough to be Halloween-worthy if you’re still on the lookout for an entertaining idea for a Halloween cocktail party. But it’s also great for any time of the year. I put together THREE of my FAVORITE techniques to create this color changing shimmery cocktail. This gin-based cocktail is made with color changing gin, which I made by infusing the gin with butterfly pea flowers. However, if you have access to it, you can also buy a specialty gin called empress gin which has a beautiful dark purple color and already has butterfly pea flowers added to it. You can check out my Witches Brew drink where I use this gin to make another amazing Halloween cocktail.
Making homemade color changing gin
You can get the recipe for it in the recipe card below, but you can read all about this simple technique and get the tutorial for it in my color changing alcohol post. Next, I added some food-grade white luster petal dust to the infused spirit to make it shimmery! I’ve discussed how I first discovered this neat little trick and how I made homemade shimmery liqueur and flavored shimmery liqueur with it. I’m doing the same for this shimmery cocktail, BUT WITHOUT any added sugar syrup. This phoenix cocktail (gin and elderflower cocktail) was also inspired by the bee’s knees cocktail, but instead of using honey, I used elderflower syrup to sweeten it (which is why I don’t call it a bee’s knees cocktail). You can make this color changing shimmery cocktail with lemon and elderflower syrup OR lemon and St. Germain liqueur. Elderflower syrup – I made a lemon and elderflower syrup by combining strained lemon juice, elderflower syrup and vodka in a 1:1: 1/2 ratio (the vodka is optional in case you’d prefer a non-alcoholic version, but if you add vodka, the syrup will last longer since the alcohol acts as a preservative). You can use this syrup for non-alcoholic beverages as well (without the vodka of course). St Germain Liqueur – If you have St Germain liqueur at home instead of elderflower syrup, you can absolutely use that for this color changing cocktail as well. Just mix strained lemon juice and St Germain liqueur in a 1 : 1 1/2 ratio.
So why is this called The Phoenix Cocktail?
I’m serving this drink with the shimmery gin in a cocktail glass with a very thin layer of Rum 151 layered on top, and the lemon and elderflower syrup on the side. Then I light up the cocktail to create a mesmerizing flame over the blue shimmery gin, and then the syrup is carefully poured in to make this shimmery cocktail “MAGICALLY” change color from blue to purple! 🙂 How freaking awesome is that? This phoenix cocktail is a little extra special to me because for the last two years, the words “still I rise” (by Maya Angelou) have been near and dear to me. So just the mythology of the beautiful phoenix and the notion of rising from the ashes are something I’ve drawn inspiration from quite a lot lately. So it only made sense to me to channel that into one of my cocktail recipes! Along somewhat similar lines, I recently shared a Halloween-worthy flaming dragon’s blood cocktail as well! 🙂
Recipe notes and a word of caution
This is a flaming cocktail, so it goes without saying that you HAVE to be mindful and follow some safety precautions when you light up a cocktail. The flames are only used here for the theatrics, so once your guests have been entertained with your magical cocktail, PLEASE extinguish the flame before you hand over the drink to your guests. There are three ways you can do that (without having to blow into another person’s drink); You can make this even MORE magical by creating sparks in your flame. Just take a pinch of ground cinnamon and sprinkle it over the flames (from a safe distance) and watch the flames create beautiful sparks! I like to think of the cinnamon as the metaphorical “ashes” that the phoenix rises from. 🙂 The cinnamon doesn’t actually add any flavor, so the sparks are just for extra fun.
More recipe tips
As an additional tip, keep your gin in the freezer and the lemon elderflower syrup in the fridge so they are chilled. Use sturdy glasses because then there’s less of a chance of your drink tipping over. And never fill the glass to the brim. Keep the rum 151 bottle and other flammable items away from your cocktail. If you’re still unsure, please leave out the flames. This gin and elderflower cocktail is still shimmery AND color changing. There’s enough magic right there to outshine even a phoenix! 🙂 This shimmery cocktail isn’t just absolutely spectacular to look at, but it’s also super delicious! The fruity, tangy, floral flavors of the lemon elderflower syrup make this an absolute delight to drink. That’s what I really like about elderflower syrup – with notes of lychee, peach and lemon, and a lovely floral fragrance, it’s one of my favorite flavors to use in cocktails. And it pairs beautifully with the earthy, sweet, floral notes of gin! And even if you forego all the color changing, shimmery, flaming theatrics, this cocktail still stands strong on its own as an elegant, delicious gin and elderflower cocktail. It’s the taste that truly matters, and this one delivers. But I have to say, all that other stuff really does make it fun! 😀 If you would prefer a NON ALCOHOLIC VERSION, you can use the lemon and elderflower syrup (without the vodka) to make a delicious color changing galaxy lemonade! And see here for more color changing cocktail recipes and ideas.
Recipe video
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