When Candy Met Cocktail: How To Craft A Happily Ever After In Your Glass
Candy and alcohol paired together: does it sound like an outlandish idea? Usually, we add salty, savoury or acidic flavours to accompany liquors. But candies and alcohol make for a great pairing, a perfect one too, as some mixologists argue. Elegantly textured alcohols go with candies and create a robust taste packing a punch that is full of flavour.
1. Candy and Spirit Pairings
Gummy Candy with vodka and dark rum
While vodka is best consumed neat, as it has a neutral, clear and crisp flavour, it pairs well with gummy candies, as it is a flavourless drink. You could also add gummy bears to vodka soda!
Another winning combination is dark rum and gummy candies. This combination has been around since the late 19th century. Simply pour the rum over gummies in a mason jar and leave it for a few days or a week. You will get a delectably flavoured spirit!
Mints and Peppermint Candies with London Dry Gin, vodka and dark rum
London Dry Gin with mint and peppermint candies is one of the easiest infusions to prepare. The candy lends a faint sweetness to the drink which makes it a winner. Vodka with mints and peppermint candies are also easy to make. The flavour too is sublimely sweet - light, clean, bracing but never overpowering. Dark rum when infused with these candies transforms into a refreshing drink.
Fruit-flavoured Candy with vodka
Fruit-flavoured candies are the best to pair with the supremely versatile spirit vodka. These fruit-flavoured candy-infused vodkas can be a great gift for your near and dear ones.
Chocolate with dark rum and premium vodka
Dark rum and chocolates are one of the best candy-spirit pairings. Aged dark rum especially pairs well with chocolates. The fusion brings out intense flavour due to a high percentage of cocoa. Vodka being famously versatile goes great with chocolate. Milk chocolate gives the premium vodka a sweeter profile.
2. Ways to Incorporate Candy
Garnish
Candies are a fun way to garnish your drinks. And there are many creative ways to do it. You can skewer candies, and place them over glass. Additionally, you can pour chocolate syrup into the drink and add sprinkles. You could even use a chocolate candy bar as a stirring stick. Cotton candies make for great visuals during serving as you pour the drink over them.
Rimming
Rimming the glasses with candy is the simplest task ever! Just dip the glass edges in sugar water and dip it again in crushed candies.
Infusion
Infusing alcohol with candies is also very easy to do. Take a mason jar, add the candies and pour the spirit on top. Close the lid tightly and shake the jar. Once the candies melt the liquor is ready for consumption
3. Dos and Don'ts
Dos
- Choose the right combination of spirit and candy. Also remember common liquors, such as vodka, tequila, rum, whiskey and gin go better with candy infusions than complex liquors like mezcal. Hard candies are difficult to incorporate in alcohol, so get the candy and spirit combo right.
- While making infusion, ensure your glasses and the mason jars are clean, and that the mason jars come with tight lids.
- Keep in mind that different kinds of candy and spirit infusions need different time periods for steeping
- Strain the drink well. You can also use double strainers.
Don'ts
- Ensure you don't make infusions of quantities that are too large for you. Check for a good recipe and stick to it while making the infusion.
- Every spirit and candy combination has a different steeping period. Steeping for longer periods can make the infusion bitter or leave an unpleasant flavour.
- Know how much amount of the infusion you will need and strain or double strain accordingly.
- Don't store in such a way that the infusion gets too much air or no air at all. Remember to let in a bit of air in the mason jar before tightly closing the lid.
