Polyjuice Potion | Harry Potter Inspired Recipes
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For every season, there’s a reason to rewatch/reread Harry Potter. Halloween is one of the biggest celebrations at Hogwarts, with the Great Hall decked out with giant floating pumpkins and magical bats. Even the ghosts get into the spirit. However, while the rest of the school gets into the spooky mood, mischief is afoot in the first floor girl’s lavatory – where polyjuice potion is being brewed.
In the books, polyjuice potion takes about a month to brew and includes ingredients like lacewig flies, leeches, powdered bicorn horn, and shredded boomslang skin and of course, a piece of the person you want to transform into.
The recipe for Muggles is much simpler: ginger ale, lime sherbet, and pieces of dried fruit like raisins or slimy things like mandarin oranges. The raisins and oranges are optional, though they do add some texture to the polyjuice potion – in the books it is described as “thick and mud-like.”
For a realistic potion, freeze the lime sherbert in a large bottle and right before serving pour in the ginger ale. This will cause the polyjuice potion to froth and bubble, just like the real deal. If you are making polyjuice potion to serve a party, prep a cauldron instead and double the recipe below. It’s just like magic!
Polyjuice Potion | Harry Potter Inspired Recipes
Ingredients
- 2 cups lime sherbet
- 4 cups ginger ale
- 4 tablespoons raisins optional as the 'human bits'
- ½ cup mandarin oranges optional
- ½ cup vodka or gin for adult polyjuice potion, optional
Instructions
- Let the sherbet thaw until runny, but still mostly frozen. It should be thawed enough to easily pour through a funnel, but still be very cold. Do not mircowave the sherbet.
- Use a funnel to carefully pour the melted sherbet into a tall glass bottle, enough to fill the bottle about half way. Add the raisins and mandarin oranges, if using. Refreeze the sherbet in the bottle. For a fun effect, freeze the bottle at an angle to make the sherbet appear to be sideways in the bottle.
- Just prior to serving, use a funnel to add the ginger ale (and alcohol, if using) to the bottle until the bottle is full and foam is coming out the top.
- When serving the cups of polyjuice potion, say the name of the person you want to transform into while dropping a raisin into the potion. Transform and enjoy! The effects of the polyjuice potion will wear off after one hour.
