All That Glitters Is...Booze? How to Make Shimmery Rainbow Liqueurs
Add a dash of colorful sparkle to your favorite cocktails with this two-ingredient DIY liqueur.


Without fail, every time I go to the liquor store, I stop by the liqueur shelf and shake up all of the shimmery varieties. Watching the sparkles swirl around the bottles is so mesmerizing. But I can't ever bring myself to actually buy a bottle because, let's be honest, I'm on a budget.
So one day, after I left the store with my $5 wine, I started wondering if there was a way to make my own sparkly liqueur. Turns out, there totally is and it's way less expensive than store-bought (and just as pretty).
DIY Shimmery Liqueurs 02:13
Turn cocktails into shimmering drinks of beauty with edible pearl dust.
These sparkly spirits are a great way to add a touch of glitz to any cocktail that lists liqueur as an ingredient. Melon Ball? More like Glitter Ball. Margarita? More like Magic-rita. You can also use them to create your own, glitter-infused cocktail concoctions like I did. I can't wait to serve galaxy-inspired cocktails for my solar eclipse party this year!
Here's how to make your own shimmery liqueurs:
What You'll Need
- flavored, colorful liqueur (see the ones we used below)
- edible pearl dust
- clear glass containers with lids
Match Up Your Colors
To keep your sparkly liqueur colorful long-term, it's important to use edible pearl dust that corresponds to the color of your liqueur. If you use silver dust, the silver color infuses into the liqueur and turns it a mottled, gray hue. You can find edible pearl dust in a variety of colors in the baking section of your local craft store.
Here are the pairings we used:
Pink shimmer: 12 oz passion fruit liqueur + 3/4 tsp pink pearl dust
Orange shimmer: 12 oz peach liqueur + 1/4 tsp yellow dust + 1/2 tsp copper dust
Yellow shimmer: 12 oz banana liqueur + 3/4 tsp yellow pearl dust
Green shimmer: 12 oz melon liqueur + 3/4 tsp green pearl dust
Blue shimmer: 12 oz blue curacao + 1/2 tsp purple dust + 1/4 tsp blue dust
Purple shimmer: 12 oz sloe gin + 3/4 tsp purple pearl dust
Mix It Up

Pour your favorite flavored liqueur into a clear glass bottle, add pearl dust and stir. It's important to use room temperature liqueur to ensure the dust mixes easily and completely. Add a lid and store your new shimmery spirit at room temperature until ready to serve. Before serving, simply give it a shake to re-mix the dust and liquid.
How to Serve
The traditional way to serve shimmery liqueur:
Fill a shaker with ice. Pour shimmery liqueur over ice and shake for about 15 seconds. Fill a martini glass 3/4 full, then top with sparkling wine or Moscato.
Or make a cocktail:
The Starboy

1/2 cup margarita mix
1/2 cup blue curacao shimmer
1.5 oz silver tequila
agave syrup
gold sugar or sprinkles
edible gold stars
Add margarita mix, blue shimmer and tequila to an ice-filled shaker. Let sit for one minute. In the meantime, cover the bottom of a small plate with agave syrup, then cover the bottom of another plate with gold sugar. Rim a margarita glass with syrup, then dip in sugar.
Shake liquid ingredients for about 10 seconds then pour into your gold-rimmed glass. Garnish with a sprinkle of edible gold stars and enjoy your out-of-this-world cocktail!