The expression “like a kid in a candy store” refers to being in the lap of luxury.
The moment we, as adults, feel like a kid in a candy store is when picking out our favorite bottled spirit at the liquor store.
That said, candy is a childish pleasure that any adult will happily indulge in. You can feed your inner child while satisfying your outer adult by delighting in a candy cocktail.
Read on to explore my list of candy cocktails.
Everyone knows that pink starbursts are the best flavor, which is why this is the only starburst candy cocktail you’ll ever need. This delightfully pink vodka martini blends vodka, strawberry kiwi juice, and strawberry-flavored soda water in a cocktail shaker.
The result is a refreshing and bubbly strawberry cocktail. Don’t forget the pink starburst garnish!
While opinions on the best starburst flavor may be unanimous, Jolly Ranchers are a different story. That’s why this recipe lets you choose your favorite Jolly Rancher flavor to infuse vodka. If your favorite flavor is green apple, you throw a few green apple jolly ranchers in a glass of vodka to create a neon green apple-flavored vodka.
The next step is to blend it with a splash of lemon-lime soda.
This whimsical twist on the classic vodka soda drink will take you back to your elementary school science fair. It’ll instill child-like amazement in your party guests as they watch their vodka soda turn pastel colors as you stir it with a rock-candy stick. The best part is the pop rock garnished rim for a fun crackly sensation with each sip.
This simple cotton candy cocktail is as fun to make as it is to drink. Using your favorite color of cotton candy, you place a piece in a short glass, pour a shot of marshmallow-flavored vodka inside, and top it off with soda water.
The marshmallow and cotton candy offer the ultimate sugar explosion.
Instead of dissolving cherry fun dip on your tongue, you can dissolve it into a cocktail with this tasty Cherry Fun Dip Cocktail. A shot of vodka, grenadine, and lemon juice gets a tart cherry infusion with two packets of cherry-flavored fun dip.
This is an easy cocktail that entails throwing all ingredients into a shaker and straining it into a lowball glass. You could garnish with those sugar sticks that come with the dip.
This frozen vodka cocktail uses real peaches and peach schnapps to achieve the intensity of peachiness you get when you bite into a fuzzy peach gummy. Lemon juice and citric acid balance the sweetness with a tart kick. The final touch is a few tablespoons of grenadine to emulate the red and yellow coloring of peach candy.
Inspired by the Mexican candy tradition, this watermelon candy cocktail blends watermelon liqueur and tequila. Tequila is the quintessential Mexican spirit, but what makes this a true Mexican candy cocktail is the addition of chamoy and tajin.
Chamoy and tajin are both spicy powders used to top fruit and fruit-flavored candies. I especially loved the tajin and chamoy-coated watermelon slices for garnish.
If fruit-flavored candy isn’t your favorite, try this utterly decadent Snickers Cocktail. It tastes like a snickers-flavored milkshake, but the amount of booze in this liquid candy bar will give you more than a sugar high.
Vanilla vodka, chocolate, and cream liqueurs, and amaretto offer the perfect candy bar flavor profile.
This uber-sweet vodka martini features raspberry vodka, cranberry, and peach schnapps with a dash of grenadine to intensify its crimson hue. If you want to balance the sweetness from the peach schnapps with extra tartness, I recommend using unsweetened cranberry juice.
The skewer of gummy bears for garnish is a cute and festive decoration for your next candy cocktail hour.
This Cotton Candy Margarita recipe pulls out all the nostalgic stops. This classic tequila cocktail has the basic trifecta of lime juice, tequila, and orange liqueur, with two important additions.
Not only do you get cotton candy infusing sweetness and pink, but you also add cream soda for the ultimate childhood flavor profile.
Yet another tart and sweet vodka martini recipe, this cocktail gets its sea-green coloring from a blend of blue curacao and melon liqueur. Citrus and melon are an unlikely pairing, but they work well together to create a candy-coated tartness. Lemon lime soda tops it all off for a refreshing, bubbly finish.
This Sour Patch Kids Margarita recipe makes enough for a crowd. It starts with infusing tequila with Sour Patch Kids by placing either equal portions of each flavor or all of one flavor in a jar with tequila overnight.
Once the tequila has taken on that tart, sweet fruity flavor, you then add lime juice and simple syrup to the mix.
Cheers!
Candy cocktails offer an adult adaptation of your favorite childhood sweets. Some of them use liqueurs and fruit juices to emulate the taste of candy, while others use the candies themselves to infuse spirits in cocktails.
Whether you like gummies, suckers, or chocolate bars, my list of candy cocktails has something for every childhood taste.
Let me know which cocktail you loved most in the comments below.
12 Candy Cocktail Recipe Ideas
Ingredients
Instructions
- Pick your favorite recipe
- Gather all the needed ingredients
- Prep a tasty cocktail in less than 5 minutes
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