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Hocus Pocus Cocktail Recipe

The Hocus Pocus Cocktail is a light and fragrant drink to sip on while enjoying a spooky Halloween night with friends! Adapted from the Hanky Panky, a sweet 50/50 martini created by Ada Coleman, head bartender at the Savoy Hotel in London. The Hocus Pocus balances out sweet vermouth and orange Curaçao liqueur with a touch of bittersweet Fernet Branca.

Looking for some equally-delicious and festive Halloween-themed cocktails? The Death in the Afternoon may kill you (metaphorically) but the Corpse Reviver No. 2 is enough to bring you back to life!

Hocus pocus cocktail recipe

Hocus Pocus Ingredients

Orange Curaçao liqueur – A bittersweet liqueur flavored with the peel of the Laraha Orange, commonly found on the Dutch-Caribbean island of Curaçao. (Avoid the blue-dyed version)

Fernet Branca – An Italian style of bitters made from over 27 aromatic herbs and aged in oak barrels for over a year.

Sweet Vermouth – Cocchi Vermouth di Torino is a complex, sweet vermouth with flavors of rhubarb, bitter orange, cocoa, and baking spice. It comes from Italy’s Piedmont region and is produced under strict, historical parameters.

Pro Tip: Dry ice is the key to taking your adult Halloween party to the next level. Carefully decorate your cocktail serving tray with a few dry ice pieces to create this mystic smokey effect. Use gloves or tongs in order to avoid touching the dry ice.

Hocus pocus cocktail recipe
Add some dry ice for a really fun Halloween cocktail.

Bring Ada Coleman’s Memory Back to Life

Ada coleman behind the bar at savoy
Ada Coleman behind the bar at Savoy

Ada Coleman, 1875 to 1966, was the head bartender at Savoy Hotel in London for 23 years. One of only two woman to have worked that position. She is also famous for having invented the Hanky Panky cocktail, another favorite of mine.

Ada has been hailed as “England’s most famous barmaid” and The Queen of Cocktail Mixers”. It is estimated she had served one hundred thousand customers and poured one million drinks.

Hocus Pocus Cocktail

Michael Kahn
The Hocus Pocus balances out sweet vermouth and orange curacao liqueur with a touch of bittersweet Fernet Branca. Light and fragrant, this cocktail is a great way to start a spooky night in with friends!
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Prep Time 3 minutes
Total Time 3 minutes
Course Cocktail
Cuisine European
Servings 1 cocktail
Calories 231 kcal

Equipment

Ingredients
 
 

  • 2 oz London Dry Gin
  • 3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth Cocchi preferred
  • 3/4 oz Orange Curacao liqueur
  • 1/6 oz Fernet Branca

Instructions
 

  • Stir all ingredients in a shaker filled with ice.
  • Strain into a chilled cocktail glass and serve. Cheers!

Nutrition

Serving: 1cocktailCalories: 231kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 0.03gFat: 0.1gSaturated Fat: 0.02gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.02gSodium: 2mgPotassium: 8mgSugar: 9gCalcium: 0.2mgIron: 0.03mg
Keyword Fernet Branca, Gin
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