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The Flavor Bender   ›   Recipes   ›   Recipes by Course   ›   Drink Recipes   ›   Fun Cocktails   ›   Magical Color Changing Cocktails (Galaxy Cocktails)

Magical Color Changing Cocktails (Galaxy Cocktails)

Author:

Dini Kodippili







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Updated: 7/17/2023
Total Time20 minutes mins
Quick and Easy Recipes
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Magical Color Changing Cocktails (Galaxy Cocktails) - Four incredible Magical Cocktails to make and be inspired to make your own! Wow your friends and family with these fun and unique cocktails made with color changing alcohol.

Four incredible and magical Color Changing Cocktails (Magical Galaxy Cocktails) with one secret ingredient! Bring out the secret mixologist in you and wow your friends and family with these fun and unique cocktails!

Don’t forget to watch the video where you can see all these cocktails in action.

And don’t miss the non-alcoholic galaxy lemonade recipe (color changing lemonade) that uses butterfly pea flowers!

Four color changing galaxy cocktails against a white background.

Just as I promised, here are FOUR AMAZING Color Changing Cocktail recipes! These build on my post on how to make color changing alcohol, which discusses the science and technicality of achieving the same color changing effect using naturally acidic alcohol.

The secret ingredient for color changing cocktails

Again, I used the secret ingredient – butterfly pea flowers (or blue pea flowers), to create these cocktails. But this time, I added a dash of that magic into the alcohol itself by infusing the flowers in it.

All these cocktails work on the basis of butterfly pea flowers changing color in the presence of an acidic solution. I won’t go into detail about how that happens here, because I’ve explained that a couple of times before in my Galaxy Lemonade Slushie post, and Color Changing Pink Lemonade post, as well as with my whimsical Halloween cocktails Witches Brew Drink and The Phoenix Cocktail.

It’s also the same principle used in this delicious no churn galaxy ice cream.

What’s important is that it’s a unique and fun ingredient, and that it’s completely natural and turns from blue to purple to pink, when mixed with an acidic solution.

As a side note – for an added twist on your drinks and you’d like to infuse your cocktails with fat-based rich savory flavor, check out my post on fat washing alcohol (fat washed butter rum).

Blue and purple galaxy drinks in three shot glasses made with color changing alcohol.

How to make color changing cocktails

There are TWO ways to make these cocktails.

  1. The alcohol itself can be color-changing by virtue of being infused with butterfly pea flowers. Check out this post here for an in-depth tutorial on how to make color changing alcohol.
  2. Use regular alcohol, but use COLOR CHANGING MAGIC ICE for the color change in the cocktail instead.

I named a few cocktails that I was going to do in my galaxy lemonade post, and here I’ll be sharing some of them with you!

  • Kiwi Lime and Mint Magic Julep (or a Mermaid Magic Julep as I like to call it!)
  • Glow in the dark Galaxy Magic Mule (A classic Mule made with tonic water)
  • Lemon-Lime Magic Margarita (which looks like a Sunset Magic Margarita)
  • Raspberry Gin Martini (made with frozen raspberries)

To enhance the color change in these magic cocktails, I use lemon or lime juice, or fruit juice mixed with lemon or lime to make it more acidic. Orange, pineapple or kiwi juice alone won’t be acidic enough to give that final purple/pink color.

I made these cocktails with color changing alcohol, BUT you can use the second option mentioned above, and just add a layer of COLOR CHANGING MAGIC ICE to your glass and the pour in regular alcohol for that lovely color changing effect.

For non-alcoholic versions, you can use pineapple and orange as a base, then add lemon syrup to it and serve it like the Color Changing Galaxy Lemonade here.

Color changing galaxy lemonade with crushed blue ice in a tall glass served with a straw.
Color Changing Galaxy Lemonade Slushie

Yes, this may be a little more work for a cocktail, but imagine how fun it would be to impress your friends, family and guests with some mixology magic!

Kiwi Lime and Mint Magic Julep (which looks like a Mermaid Magic Julep)

I mixed kiwifruit and lime juice to create the base of this amazing drink. Then it’s muddled with some mint (and a dash of mint liqueur). Next, fill the glasses with crushed ice (or half-filled with crushed magic ice if you’re not using color changing alcohol). Add extra lime juice, followed by color changing vodka (or regular vodka) and club soda to make this Magic Julep.

Top with more crushed magic ice. The drink transitions from green at the bottom to pink, purple and blue at the top! Almost like a mermaid magic julep! 🙂

Colorful mermaid kiwi lime julep served in a glass with a garnish of mint leaves and kiwi slice.
Kiwi Lime and Mint Magic Julep

Glow in the dark Galaxy Magic Mule (A classic Mule made with tonic water) 

I made one big change to the classic Moscow mule here. Instead of regular crushed ice, I use crushed tonic water ice. Frozen tonic water glows strongly under black light, giving you this amazing glow in the dark galaxy magic mule.

Fill the serving glass (glass Moscow mule mug or a highball glass) with crushed tonic water ice (half fill with color changing magic ice if you’re not using color changing vodka). Pour freshly squeezed lime juice and ginger syrup. Pour the color changing vodka on top, followed by tonic water.

I love this drink! It looks like an ethereal color changing mood ring! And under black light, it’ll glow brightly as you can see in the video!

Magical glow in the dark galaxy magic mule served in a tall glass with blue crushed ice on top.
Glow in the dark Galaxy Magic Mule

Lemon-Lime Magic Margarita (which looks like a Sunset Magic Margarita)

Of course I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make a gorgeous margarita. I LOVE margaritas!

While you can add kiwifruit juice, orange juice or regular lemon/lime juice to make a wonderful margarita, I went with the simple combo of lemon and lime instead.

A gorgeous sunset in a glass awaits you after adding the color changing tequila and stirring the drink! 🙂

Color changing sunset margarita served in a margarita glass with a slice of lime and lemon as garnish.
Lemon Lime Magic Margarita

Color Changing Raspberry Gin Martini

Gin is the one clear spirit that doesn’t change to purple when mixed with butterfly pea flowers. I wanted to add a pop of color, so instead of adding too much crushed ice (since Martinis do not typically have crushed ice), I added frozen raspberries that will also add a lovely raspberry flavor as the drink is stirred in.

I did add some ice though, just to help accent the color changing layer. Serve this drink as a layered drink, and let your guests stir the drink to see the gorgeous color change with a touch of dark pink from the raspberries!

Color changing raspberry gin martini served in a martini glass with a slice of lemon as garnish.
Color Changing Raspberry Gin Martini

Recipe video for magical color changing cocktails

Here’s another Color Changing Cocktail – with the addition of SHIMMERY LUSTER DUST. Definitely check out The Phoenix Cocktail recipe + Video here.

Phoenix Cocktail - An Elderflower and Gin Cocktail that is a Shimmery Color Changing Cocktail! Made with Butterfly pea Flower infused gin and a fruity, tangy, floral and sweet lemon Elderflower syrup. 

Click here for all the color changing alcohol recipes!

Recipe

Color changing kiwi lime and mint julep with lime slices and mint leaves next to it.
5 from 7 votes

Magical Color Changing Cocktails (Galaxy Cocktail)

Author: Dini Kodippili
Yield: Makes 4 different types of cocktails
Cuisine: Mixed
Magical Color Changing Cocktails (Galaxy Cocktails) - Four incredible Magical Cocktails to make and be inspired to make your own! Wow your friends and family with these fun and unique cocktails made with color changing alcohol.

 Difficulty: 

Easy
Here's how to make the most incredible and magical Color Changing Cocktails (Magical Galaxy Cocktails) with one secret ingredient! Wow your friends and family with these unique, fun, and easy cocktails!
EASY – These cocktails are easy to make. The color changing alcohol needs to be made in advance.

US based cup, teaspoon, tablespoon measurements. Weight‌ ‌measurements‌ ‌are‌ ‌recommended‌ ‌for‌ ‌accurate‌ ‌results whenever available.

Common Measurement Conversions
Prep: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 20 minutes mins
Print Recipe Rate SaveSaved!

Video

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Makes: 4 types of cocktails

Ingredients:
 

Kiwi Lime Julep
  • ¾ fl oz kiwifruit juice not pulp
  • 1 slice kiwifruit
  • ¼ lime
  • 10 mint leaves
  • ¼ fl oz lime juice
  • ½ fl oz agave or simple syrup
  • ½ fl oz creme de menthe
  • 1 ½ fl oz butterfly pea infused vodka
  • Crushed ice and crushed magic ice
Color Changing Sunset Margarita
Lemon Ice
  • ½ cup lemon juice
  • ½ cup water
Color Changing Sunset Margarita
  • Wedge of lime and salt for the rim
  • 3 fl oz of lemon and lime juice
  • 1 fl oz sugar syrup
  • 1.5 fl oz triple sec
  • 1.5 fl oz butterfly pea infused tequila
  • Crushed lemon ice and magic ice
Raspberry Martini
  • 4 frozen raspberries
  • Crushed ice
  • 1 fl oz lemon juice
  • ¾ fl oz simple syrup
  • ¾ fl oz vermouth
  • 1.5 fl oz butterfly pea infused gin
  • Crushed magic ice optional
Glow in the dark Galaxy Magic Mule
Tonic water ice
  • 1 cup tonic water
Ginger Syrup
  • 1 piece ginger 4 x 2 inch least large piece of ginger (skin already peeled)
  • ¼ cup water
  • ½ cup agave
Glow in the dark Galaxy Magic Mule
  • 3 fl oz lime juice
  • 1.5 fl oz ginger syrup recipe above
  • Crushed tonic water ice
  • Extra tonic water or club soda
  • 3 fl oz butterfly pea infused vodka

Instructions:
 

Kiwi Lime Julep
  • Add the kiwifruit juice, mint leaves, kiwi fruit, lime quarter, and sugar syrup in a julep cup. Muddle until the mint leaves are crushed.
  • Add creme de menthe and crushed ice to fill the glass. Pour the lime juice over the ice, followed by the butterfly pea infused vodka.
  • Top with crushed color changing magic ice and serve. Let your guests stir the drink to see the color change.
Color Changing Sunset Margarita
    Lemon Ice
    • Mix the lemon juice and water together. Pour into an ice tray and freeze overnight. Crush the ice in a blender and store in the freezer until needed.
    Color Changing Sunset Margarita
    • Rub the lime around the edge of the glass and salt the rim.
    • Half fill the glass with crushed lemon ice.
    • Pour the lemon lime juice, simple syrup and triple sec. Stir to mix.
    • Using the back of a spoon, layer the butterfly pea infused tequila. Top with color changing magic ice. Serve with a slice of lemon and lime.
    Raspberry Martini
    • Place the frozen raspberries in the glass. Top with a little crushed ice.
    • Pour the lemon juice, simple syrup, vermouth and stir to combine.
    • Pour the butterfly pea infused gin, carefully, using the back of a spoon to create a layer. Serve.
    Glow in the dark Galaxy Magic Mule
      Tonic Water Ice
      • Pour the tonic water into ice cube trays and freeze over night. Crush the ice in a blender and store in the freezer until needed.
      Ginger Syrup
      • Cut the piece of ginger into slices. Place the ginger slices in a small processor with a ¼ cup of water, and ½ cup of agave syrup. Blend until the ginger is completely blended with the liquid.
      • Transfer the ginger-agave mix into a small saucepan and heat over medium heat and bring it to a boil. Simmer for a few minutes and let the syrup infuse with the ginger for about 30 minutes. Strain (using a nut milk bag), and store in a sealable bottle and store in the fridge until needed.
      Glow in the dark Galaxy Magic Mule
      • Fill a Moscow mule glass tumbler or highball glass with the crushed tonic water.
      • Pour the ginger syrup and lime juice over the ice.
      • Next, pour the butterfly pea infused vodka, And top with tonic water or club soda.
      • This drink will glow under black light – the effect is more impressive when there are pieces of tonic ice in the drink.

      Recipe Notes

      How to make butterfly pea infused vodka or tequila or gin. 

      Nutrition Information:

      Serving: 1cocktail Calories: 254kcal (13%) Carbohydrates: 30g (10%) Protein: 1g (2%) Fat: 0.5g (1%) Saturated Fat: 0.1g (1%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.2g Monounsaturated Fat: 0.04g Sodium: 18mg (1%) Potassium: 229mg (7%) Fiber: 2g (8%) Sugar: 22g (24%) Vitamin A: 128IU (3%) Vitamin C: 71mg (86%) Calcium: 34mg (3%) Iron: 1mg (6%)

      “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.”

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      About

      Dini Kodippili

      Dini Kodippili is a professional food writer, recipe developer, food photographer, cookbook author, and baker. Dini has been featured on HuffPost, Cosmopolitan, Forbes, Delish, Food & Wine and more. Learn More

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      41 responses

      1. Amalgama
        April 23, 2026

        Such a fun and creative concept! Loved the science-meets-art approach.

        Reply
      2. SJT
        January 20, 2025

        Looks great and I’m wondering what the actual process is to infuse the butterfly pea flower. I’m looking to make mocktails with some teens.

        Reply
        1. Dini
          January 22, 2025

          Hi SJT
          So you can absolutely make a strong butterfly pea tea with water, to get a very dark blue infusion. Then this can be used in the drinks.
          Since it’s concentrated, you don’t have to add too much.

          Or you can make a butterfly pea simple syrup by making a concentrated butterfly pea tea and then making a simple syrup with the tea.
          You can also use crushed blue ice like I used in my galaxy lemonade recipe as well.
          I hope that helps!

          Reply
      3. deedee
        August 27, 2023

        5 stars
        Thank you for these recipes! They’re awesome!

        Reply
      4. Abhimanyu Chauhan
        June 18, 2022

        5 stars
        It really helped me a lot

        Reply
      5. J
        December 30, 2021

        Great ideas! I’m going to try the raspberry gin martini but how will the raspberry flavour come out with just using frozen strawberries?
        Also do you have a suggestion for a mocktail version?
        Thanks in advance!

        Reply
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      Hey There!

      Hi! I’m Dini, a third culture kid by upbringing and a food-geek by nature. I was born in Sri Lanka, grew up in New Zealand and lived in Australia, and then the US, before moving to and settling down in Canada. My food is a reflection of those amazing experiences!

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