This Color-Changing Magic Margarita Will Add Sparkle to Your Summer

This summer, your cocktails can come with their own party tricks. If you're looking to serve up a twist on the conventional cocktail to your backyard guests (or just have a beautiful drink to accompany you by the pool), this magical margarita is for you.

Not only do the color-changing properties of butterfly pea flowers turn your drink from deep sapphire blue to a gorgeous fuchsia shade right before your eyes (completely au natural), but also the addition of edible sparkles will make your guests covet your special drink. Prepare the magic tequila ahead of time, and you can whip up these boozy beauties at a moment's notice.

While we love using butterfly pea flowers and edible glitter for adult drinks, there's an even easier way to whip up a kid-friendly version — fairy-dust lemonade, anyone? Simply steep 7 to 8 butterfly pea flowers in hot water for about 10 minutes, just as you would tea. Once it's steeped, strain out the flowers and stir in a ⅛ teaspoon of edible glitter. Pour the tea-glitter mixture into a glass and top it off with store-bought lemonade, then watch their eyes widen in amazement.

Try our: Berry Bloom Lemonade Recipe

So, what are butterfly pea flowers anyway? They come from a beautiful flowering vine native to Thailand, Burma, and other parts of Southeast Asia. This true-blue plant contains anthocyanins, natural pigments that change color when introduced to highly acidic environments (i.e. the lime in your margarita or the lemon in your lemonade). There are many ways to use the natural dye to make some of the most vibrant drinks, snacks, and even fabrics you'll ever see.

How to Make a Butterfly Pea Flower Magic Margarita

Yield: 2 drinks

• 1 cup tequila
• 7-8 butterfly pea flowers
• 2 oz lime juice, freshly squeezed
• 1 ½ oz triple sec
• 1 oz simple syrup
• ¼ teaspoon edible glitter
• 2 cups ice
• Lime wedges to garnish

1. Steep butterfly pea flowers in the tequila for 3 hours, or up to a day.
2. Fill two cocktail glasses with ice and pour in 2 oz of tequila per glass. In a shaker, combine lime juice, triple sec, simple syrup, and glitter. Split the contents of the shaker among the two glasses. Garnish with a lime wedge and stir to enhance the color-changing effect.