If you could have one potion from the magical world right now, what would it be? You probably know immediately – it’s gotta be Felix Felicis, also known as “liquid luck.” I mean, who wouldn’t want a potion that makes “all your endeavors tend to succeed… at least until the effects wear off.” (HBP, Ch. 9)
This bewitching potion captures the imagination of muggle readers and aspiring wizards alike, as they dream of concocting their own dose of luck to navigate the complexities and challenges of life… from passing exams and scoring Quidditch goals to asking out your crush.
Potions wasn’t my strongest class at Ilvermorny, and it isn’t easy to make Felix Felicis – but it’s much more complicated in the magical world than in the Muggle one. I’ve scoured the sources and reviewed other Muggle ways to make Felix Felicis, to come up with a relatively simple recipe you can use to make your life lucky –or at least taste a whole lot sweeter!
If you want to know how to make Liquid Luck, read on for my Felix Felicis recipe.
This post was originally published in May 2020, and was updated in May 2023.
Table of Contents
Felix Felicis in the Magical World
Photos of Felix Felicis in the Potions Classroom at the Harry Potter Studio Tour
The Felix Felicis potion dates back to the 16th century when it was invented by a potion maker named Zygmunt Budge.
Mine own invention, my masterpiece; the crowning achievement of my career. Bottled good fortune. Brewed correctly the drinker of this potion will be lucky in all their endeavours, but be warned … excessive consumption is highly toxic and can cause extreme recklessness.
Zygmunt Budge in Wonderbook: Book of Potions
“Reliable historical sources tell us this much,” in the words of Professor Binns (COS, Ch. 9). We also know that Horace Slughorn used the potion twice in his own life, and Albus Dumbledore admitted taking it “recreationally” in the video game adaptation of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.
It’s in Half-Blood Prince that we know other characters used Felix Felicis the most. Harry uses it to convince Slughorn to part with a pivotal memory of Tom Riddle; and Hermione, Ron, and Ginny use it for protection in the Battle of the Astronomy Tower. In all of these cases, we know the potion did its part to help keep everyone safe – but it wasn’t enough to prevent Dumbledore’s death. There are limits to how widely the effects of Felix can go.
But if you’re still sold on having some Felix Felicis for yourself, read on for information about the magical recipe – and a muggle alternative you can use to make Felix Felicis at home.
The Official Felix Felicis Recipe
According to Wonderbook: Book of Potions, an augmented reality Harry Potter video game, here is the official recipe for Felix Felicis – which purportedly takes six months to brew using these directions:
- Add Ashwinder egg to a cauldron.
- Add horseradish and heat your cauldron.
- Juice a squill bulb, add the juice to the cauldron, and stir vigorously.
- Chop up the anemone-like spikes on the back of Murtlap, add to mixture and heat.
- Add a dash of tincture of thyme and stir slowly.
- Grind up Occamy eggshell and add to mixture.
- Stir slowly then heat the cauldron.
- Sprinkle powdered common rue over the potion.
- Stir vigorously then heat the cauldron one last time.
- Wave your wand over potion in a figure-eight motion and say the magical incantation ‘Felixempra!’
If your local apothecary is out of some of these ingredients or your wand work is a little rusty – never fear! You can make Felix Felicis in real life, and I’ll show you how in the rest of this post.
How to Make Felix Felicis in Real Life
While it’s tricky to find Ashwinder eggs, squill bulbs, and Occamy eggshells –which, having seen Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I’m not even sure you’d want to try and find! –there are some common Muggle ingredients you can use to make Felix Felicis instead.
This recipe is a little complicated only because it requires heating the ingredients on the stove – and waiting for them to cool before bottling and using. It’s best to have an adult help, if you’re an underage witch or wizard reading this.
Yield: Serves 4
The Perfect Felix Felicis Recipe
Prep Time14 minutes
Total Time14 minutes
Ingredients
- 1 BottleEdible Golden Sprinkles
- 1/3 CWhite Sugar
- 1/2 CWater
- 1Glass vial to hold your potion
- 1Clear liquid drink to mix with
Instructions
- Take the entire bottle of golden edible sprinkles and add them to a pot or saucepan.
- Add white sugar to the pot.
- Pour in water to the pot and turn the pot to medium heat.
- Stir continuously while the pot comes to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn off heat and continue stirring intermittently.
- Once cool, add your golden syrup to a glass jar.
- To finalize your potion, add 1 tablespoon of syrup for each 4 ounces of clear liquid drink.
As an alternative, you can go super-simple and just buy some gold food coloring to add to your drink… but that doesn’t really feel like potion-making, now does it?
If you’re uncertain what clear liquid drink to add your Felix Felicis syrup to, there are lots of choices –just make sure they’re clear so you can see the golden magic of Felix Felicis once you add it! I recommend choosing something tart rather than sweet. Since the Felix Felicis syrup has sugar, it will sweeten up lemon or lime La Croix, ginger ale, or unsweetened, filtered apple cider.
Felix Felicis co*cktail for Adult Witches & Wizards
If you want to mix up your Felix Felicis for times when you need some luck while “adulting,” here’s what I suggest:
- Choose a clear white spirit, such as vodka or gin.
- Add that spirit to your clear drink, such as flavored sparkling water or tonic.
- Stir the two together, then add your Felix Felicis syrup as a final step.
- Enjoy the giddiness, recklessness, and/or dangerous overconfidence you suddenly feel!
Do you have questions about how to make Felix Felicis? Modified this Felix Felicis recipe like the Half-Blood Prince would have done? Let me know in the comments!
