Black Magic Champagne Cocktail

Trick and treat your party guests with a Black Magic Champagne Cocktail. Dark and spooky, it’s perfect for the adults to sip at a Halloween party!

Black Magic Champagne Cocktail recipe

When it comes to Halloween, do you prefer your parties, costumes and decorations to be spooky and scary or fun, cheerful?

For me, I like things a little classy. I’ve never been one to put fake spiderwebs on my house, but a cute jack-o-lantern or two never hurts.

I’ve never been the biggest fan, but I find Halloween to be more fun with each year. Halloween cocktails definitely help. So do delicious treats like devil cupcakes.

From boozy butterbeer to Tootsie Roll cocktails to color-changing witches brew, there’s something for everyone. But I wanted to try something a little spookier this year: A black cocktail made with black vodka.

Look how scary it is:

Black Vodka recipe

Did you know that such a thing as black vodka exists? It stunned me too!

Black vodka is simply a food-colored vodka. It tastes just like vodka!

You can make it at home with food coloring, or you can buy it. Blavod is the brand of black vodka that is easiest to find, but making it at home is easier.

There are a few ways to make black vodka. I’ve seen some folks infuse vodka with black rice, which would be more natural, but food coloring is definitely less time-consuming.

Charcoal powder is another method, but there is some medical risk to using charcoal that I didn’t want to take. Food coloring is safer.

How to make Black Vodka

I used this food coloring from McCormick. All you need are 2-3 drops each of blue, green and red food coloring per cup of vodka.

These three colors are dark and saturated, and when they come together they turn the vodka black as the night.

Look how easy it is to make:

Then give it a shake or stir to turn it totally black.

You can use this same method to make black gin or black rum if you like! Or even a flavored spirit like marshmallow vodka or coconut rum. The (night) sky is the limit!

Black champagne cocktail recipe

I used my black vodka to create a black French 75 cocktail. The French 75 is one of my favorites. It’s a classy champagne drink you can enjoy at brunch or for celebrating something at dinner parties. It contains gin or vodka, simple syrup and lemon juice, and is then topped with champagne.

If you like, you can even make this drink with black vodka and St. Germain to make an elderflower French 75 cocktail. The elderflower liqueur will give it a more floral flavor, which might make it taste more potion-like.

Ingredients for the Black Magic Champagne Cocktail

You only need a few ingredients for your black magic cocktail.

Black vodka: You’ll need black vodka, which you can make yourself with food coloring. Blavod vodka is a brand of black vodka you can use — if you can find it.

If you make your own, I wouldn’t pick the fanciest vodka out there but I also wouldn’t pick the cheapest. Check out my Vodka 101 for tips on which bottle to buy.

Simple syrup: I always recommend making your own simple syrup. It’s so very easy! Just equal parts of sugar and water.

Lemon juice: Bottled lemon juice will work, but fresh lemon juice is always better in cocktails. It has a more zingy lemon flavor.

Champagne: Real champagne would be the most French choice for a French 75, but feel free to use cava, prosecco or any other bubbly, even though they’re not French. Check out my guide to Sparkling Wine 101 for more tips on what bubbly to pick.

Make sure that whatever you pick says “brut” or “dry.” “Demi-sec” or “semi-dry” would also work fine.

How to make a black magic cocktail

After you’ve made black vodka, the cocktail part is easy.

1. In a cocktail shaker filled with ice, combine the black vodka, simple syrup and lemon juice.
2. Shake vigorously and strain into a champagne flute.
3. Top with champagne. Serve immediately.

And that’s it!

Black vodka cocktails

This Dead Man’s Kiss cocktail combines black marshmallow vodka and coffee liqueur, or you could try a black vodka martini for a mysterious libation.

My mad scientist cocktails incorporate Skittles vodka and dry ice for a spooky look. But if you use black vodka instead, you could have a smoking black cocktail!

The Black Widow cocktail uses black vodka and blackcurrant liqueur, whereas this Screwed-up Screwdriver is the classic vodka and orange juice, but black!

Or you can make black vodka punch if you’re serving a crowd!

More Spooky Halloween Cocktails

There are a few spooky Halloween cocktails out there that you can try.

A big bowl of this fizzy potion Halloween punch is always a big hit at parties.

And this Nightmare on Whisky Street cocktail has a gathering of meringue ghouls on top. So cute!

Harry Potter fans will love this color-changing Amortentia potion cocktail.

Glow-in-the-dark jello shots are always a winner too if you have some black lights to shine! And shots of candy corn vodka are a great way to end the night.

Let me know if you try this spooky black magic cocktail! Leave a review or comment below. // susannah