How to Make the Draught of Peace

If there’s one thing we can all agree on when talking about the year 2020, it’s that the world seems so uncertain and stressful right now. Wouldn’t it be nice if we could use some of the magic in the world of Harry Potter to help us stay calm and relaxed as we face the challenges before us?

It turns out that is possible! Easily overlooked in favor of other more popular potions, the Draught of Peace is a potion that produces the exact sense of relaxation and calm we all need a little more in our lives.

While the potion in the magical world is incredibly complex (kind of like Felix Felices!), I’ve come up with a muggle alternative that is astonishingly simple and produces the same result. Read on to learn more about the Draught of Peace – and for my easy Draught of Peace recipe.

This post was originally published in June 2020, and was updated most recently in September 2023.

The Draught of Peace in the Magical World

In the magical world, we first learn about the Draught of Peace in Order of the Phoenix:

Today we will be mixing a potion that often comes up at Ordinary Wizarding Level: The Draught of Peace, a potion to calm anxiety and soothe agitation. Be warned: If you are too heavy-handed with the ingredients you will put the drinker into a heavy and sometimes irreversible sleep, so you will need to pay close attention to what you are doing.

Severus Snape, OOTP, Ch. 12

We also know that students often take the Draught of Peace as they approach their OWLs to help calm their nerves during that intense exam period (OOTP, Ch. 31).

Unfortunately, the Draught of Peace is anything but peaceful to make – which is why Harry struggles with the potion when he makes it in Snape’s class (and ends up receiving a zero grade – even more stressful!). Here are the steps, as far as reliable historical sources can tell:

1. Add powdered moonstone until the potion turns green. Stir until the potion turns blue.
2. Add powdered moonstone and stir three times counter-clockwise until the potion turns purple. Simmer until the potion turns pink.
3. Add two drops of syrup of hellebore until the potion turns turquoise. Simmer until the potion turns purple.
4. Shake powdered porcupine quills vigorously and then add until the potion turns red. Stir until the potion turns orange.
5. Add more porcupine quills until the potion turns turquoise. Simmer till the potion turns purple.
6. Add powdered unicorn horn until the potion turns pink. Stir until the potion turns red. Simmer until the potion turns purple.
7. Add more powdered moonstone until the potion turns grey. Simmer until it turns orange.
8. Add more powdered porcupine quills until the potion turns white.
9. Lower the heat. Add exactly 7 drops of hellebore. The potion should be a turquoise blue if it has been brewed correctly, and a light silver vapor should be rising from your potion.

As you can see, this potion requires a lot of ingredients and precisely following the directions – but it’s not specific on exactly how much you need to add of each ingredient. I’m stressed out just thinking about it… seems like I need a Draught of Peace to make the Draught of Peace!

(Note: This recipe is a combination of the confirmed steps in Order of the Phoenix and a potions challenge in the Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince video game.)

How to Make the Draught of Peace

When trying to come up with a recipe for the Draught of Peace, I thought a lot about how to make something that matched the description from the magical world – and had the same effect. It seemed easy at first to produce calm and relaxation with alcohol, but not everyone drinks alcohol and not everyone feels calmer or relaxed after drinking alcohol!

Instead, I came up with a solution: Recess. Recess is a hemp extract-infused sparkling water; this means it contains CBD and “adaptogens” which are herbs that help your body adapt to stress. On its own, Recess promises a “cool, collected, calm” feeling – and having tried a few of the flavors I know it does help create a general sense of relaxation.

Recess comes in six flavors, but I decided to use the Coconut Lime flavor in this Draught of Peace recipe for two reasons. First, who doesn’t feel relaxed when tasting coconut lime and thinking of paradise? Second, it pairs well with the orange flavors of Blue Curaçao that I used to get this Draught of Peace recipe the right color.

(As far as I know, Recess is available everywhere because you can buy it online on their website. However, I might be wrong if any of the ingredients are not legal where you live.)

Draught of Peace Shopping List & Recipe

Here are the ingredients you need to make the Draught of Peace (the muggle way):

• Recess Coconut Lime (you can buy a whole case or get one can in the Recess Sampler Pack)
• Alcoholic Version: DeKuyper Blue Curaçao
• Non-Alcoholic Version: Torani Blue Curaçao Syrup

I also use the Mofado Crystal Mixing Glass and Zulay 12-inch Cocktail Spoon in this recipe. A good potionmaster needs the right ingredients and the right “cauldron” and other supplies!

Start with your can of Recess Coconut Lime – I recommend using the whole can so you get the maximum peaceful effect. Pour it into a mixing glass

Take 2 oz of Blue Curaçao (or Blue Curaçao syrup if you want a non-alcoholic version). Use a shot glass or jigger to measure the amount.

Pour it into your mixing glass; the color will start to change right away. You can use a cocktail spoon to gently stir the two together to a consistent color.

Pour your Draught of Peace into a nice glass. I’m using a plastic Marie Antoinette-style glass; you can get a nicer, reusable version here.

And that’s it – a simple recipe that will “calm anxiety and soothe agitation” no matter what circumstances are troubling you. All that’s left is to light a candle (I love this Chesapeake Bay “Serenity & Calm” Lavender-Thyme scented candle!), put on soothing music, and enjoy.

Have you tried making the Draught of Peace? Let me know in the comments!

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