“The Love Witch” Cocktail

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As a Halloween blogger, I am frequently asked to share my favorite horror movies - as if loving Halloween automatically means you love horror too. (It doesn't, but that's a blog post for another day...)

I usually rattle off “The Amityville Horror” (the first horror movie I remember watching) or sometimes “Rosemary’s Baby”. After last summer, “Midsommar” is waaay up there too. But one movie I forget to list is “The Love Witch”.

Which is a shame because I absolutely adore it.

Now let’s be clear: I’m not claiming this movie is the greatest horror film of all time. The dialogue is clunky, at best, the acting is often painful, and you’ll probably finish it wondering if there was actually a plot in there. I equate it to watching “Rocky Horror” for the first time – you go on a really weird journey and get to the end muttering to yourself, “WTF did I just watch?”

But it’s a really fun – and beautifully shot – journey. I mean…

 

 

Since I watched it for the first time in January 2017, it’s found a special place in my heart for its beauty and quirk. It’s a film I often revisit as February 14 approaches because what witchy woman doesn’t love a movie with a little love spell or two?

 

 

Or one that inspires a cocktail? Today I’ve got a fun – and easy – drink recipe for you inspired by Elaine’s love potion of organic berries, vodka and hallucinagenic herbs.

 

Organic berries, vodka and hallucinogenic herbs (๐Ÿ˜‰) - make up Elaine's elixir from "The Love Witch" using this cocktail recipe!

"The Love Witch" Cocktail

Under the spell of "The Love Witch"? Then you'll want to make this easy cocktail to enjoy while watching the movie.
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 45 mins
Course Drinks
Cuisine Halloween Cocktails
Servings 1 drink

Ingredients
  

"The Love Witch" Cocktail

  • 6 oz berry juice
  • 2 oz vodka
  • 1 sprig fresh rosemary for garnish
  • berries for garnish

Homemade Berry Juice

  • 4 cups water
  • 1 cup fresh raspberries
  • 1 cup fresh blackberries
  • 1 cup fresh blueberries
  • 2 Tbsp sugar optional

Instructions
 

To make homemade berry juice:

  • Place all fresh berries in pot and cover with water.
  • Bring to boil on stove at medium heat. (Approx. 20-30 mins.)
  • Once the mixture boils, crush the berries and then bring back to a boil a second time at medium heat. (Approx. 10-15 mins.)
  • After the mixture boils twice, allow the juice to start cooling and strain it into a pitcher or other storage container. (Approx. 10-15 mins.)
  • Add sugar to juice and stir well. Place in fridge to cool before drinking.

To make "The Love Witch" cocktail:

  • Measure 2 ounces of vodka into a cocktail shaker.
  • Measure 6 ounces of berry juice into the cocktail shaker.
  • Add ice, shake well and pour into a glass.
  • Add fresh berries and a sprig of fresh rosemary to garnish.

Notes

The berry juice recipe will make enough for 2-3 drinks. The cocktail recipe is for a single drink.
You can also use store-bought berry juice if you have a favorite brand. Homemade berry juice will keep in the fridge, covered, for up to two weeks.
Alternatives:
You might consider making a rosemary simple syrup (one part water, one part sugar, 1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary) to sweeten your drink. If you do this, add 1 ounce of syrup to the cocktail and omit sugar from the homemade berry juice.
You might also top off your drink with a splash of club soda or champagne to give it a little sparkle!

 

[MILD SPOILER] If you’ve seen “The Love Witch”, you likely remember the first man we see Elaine kill with her love – the professor who whisks her away to his remote cabin. On the drive up, she shares a flask with an original concoction inside. When he finally asks her what’s in the drink, she innocently replies “organic berries, vodka and halluicinagenic herbs!”

 

 

For my cocktail, I trade out the hallucinagenic herbs for fresh rosemary to keep things PG. While I only used rosemary as a garnish, I think it’d be fun to make a rosemary simple syrup to add more flavor to this drink!

If you’ve never made simple syrup before, it’s ridiculously easy: one part water, one part sugar (the easiest measurement is one cup of each). To flavor it, throw in 1-2 sprigs of fresh rosemary, then bring to a boil over medium heat.

Once the mixture boils, remove from the heat and allow to cool. Remove the rosemary sprigs and pour your syrup into an air-tight container. Add to cocktails as you wish!

 

 

I also ended up making my own berry juice because I couldn’t find anything like what I had in mind at the grocery store. Luckily, it was an easy process that just took a little time, and the results were delicious!

Full instructions are in the recipe card above, but to make your own berry juice combine four cups of water with three cups of fresh berries. I used fresh raspberries, blackberries and blueberries. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat, crush the berries after the first boil, then bring the mixture to a boil a second time.

After the second boil, remove from the heat, strain the juice into a container and allow it to cool. If you want to sweeten it, you can add sugar to taste – I found about two tablespoons did the trick. (But I also like my juice more on the tart side.)

 

 

If you make this cocktail, it absolutely HAS to be served in a mason jar because, well, youย know

 

 

I purposely made this drink a little stronger than I normally would, but you can always reduce the vodka to one ounce if two is too much. You might also give it a little sparkle by topping it off with club soda or even a little champagne or prosecco.

 

 

 

Have you watched “The Love Witch”?

If not, as of the original publication of this blog post (Feb. 9, 2021) you can find it on Shudder or Amazon Prime. You can also watch it for free on Pluto TV, Vudu and Crackle.

Don’t forget to enjoy this cocktail while you watch!

 

Happy Valoween,

 

 

February 11, 2021

Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween

Miranda is the Houston-based writer, blogger, and Halloween lover behind Spooky Little Halloween, the blog celebrating October 31st all year long. Her favorite Halloween things include pumpkin guts, chocolate bars in her trick-or-treat pail, real haunted houses (including the one she lives in!), and historic cemeteries.

12 Comments

  1. Reply

    Jess

    February 9, 2021

    We started this movie last weekend and stopped mid-way through when I found out it was going to be on Joe Bob’s Last Drive In Valentine’s Day special this weekend. I thought the visuals were amazing and I look forward to watching the whole thing with Joe Bob’s commentary. We will make your cocktail to sip while watching, thanks for the recipe!

  2. Reply

    Kristen

    February 9, 2021

    Hey Miranda,

    This cocktail sounds like it’ll be dangerously delicious! I love my drinks on the tart side, too, I can’t wait to whip this one up for Valentines Day! I’m not a huge fan of horror movies either so I’ll definitely give The Love Witch a watch, thank you for the great suggestions!

  3. Reply

    Kristin

    February 9, 2021

    Oooo thanks for the tip that it’s free on Vudu!! I’ve been wanting to watch this one for a while. Guess I know what I’m doing this weekend ;-)

  4. Reply

    Arachne

    February 9, 2021

    What tarot deck is that? The plaid backing is so cute.

  5. Reply

    Crafty Lumberjacks

    February 10, 2021

    Yummmm!!! We gotta try this!! Love the idea of rosemary and berry!

  6. Reply

    Autumn Zenith

    February 11, 2021

    Thank you SO much for publicly addressing the fact that not all Halloween lovers are horror film fans as well. I tend to be impacted very deeply and negatively by a lot of the content in the horror genre – though have a somewhat easier time, I find, with pre-90s films for some reason (perhaps the less realistic special effects???). Thus, while I appreciate this broad category of films a great deal, rarely watch modern horror flicks, yet absolutely love Halloween itself beyond any measure.

    Autumn Zenith ๐ŸŽƒ Witchcrafted Life

    • Reply

      Miranda | Spooky Little Halloween

      February 11, 2021

      I am right there with you on pre-90s films! I feel like they rely more the implication of blood and guts without having to show it excessively…which I prefer. I often fall out of the story when I’m more focused on how a scene made me feel queasy.

      I’m sure more on this is coming when I FINALLY finish that horror movie watch list my friend Matt made for me.

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