Candy vodka with Jolly Ranchers

Remember how much you loved candy as a kid? Here’s an easy recipe that combines your childhood love of sweet tastes and bright colors with an adults-only beverage: Vodka! (This simple candy vodka recipe will open the door to all kinds of homemade variations, too.)

This version calls for fruity Jolly Ranchers, but just about any candy that dissolves in liquid works. The recipe is super-simple. Just as with anything in childhood, the hardest part is the waiting.

For a personalized gift, try using the recipient’s favorite candies and/or colors! Bottle it up in some cute little flasks, and they’ll make a lovely display in a rainbow of colors. It’s almost as good as having your own candy factory (minus the Oompa-Loompas).

All you need to get started is vodka in its original bottle and candies of your choice.

If you’re making several flavors, separate the candies and use multiple bottles. (We used cherry and green apple candy flavors.)

Just drop the candies into the bottle: It’s that easy!

Now it’s time to get shaking. Screw the lid tightly on the bottle and give it a good shake. Repeat this process every few hours, or until the candies have dissolved completely.

Tips for making your candy vodka

• If you’re using bottles with a capacity of exactly 500ml, you will need to pour out one shot of vodka before you add your candies to prevent overflow.
• If you’re buying Jolly Ranchers in an assorted-flavor bag, make sure to buy enough bags to get enough of the flavor(s) you want to use. The right ratio seems to be about 25 pieces of candy for each 500ml of vodka.
• If you’re using a different kind of hard candy, choose some that will fit into the opening of your bottle.
• Chewy candies, such as caramels, might be too big for your bottle, so cut them into halves or quarters.
• If you’re filling smaller bottles, use a funnel to pour your tasty concoction into pretty flasks with resealable lids.
• For gift-giving, you might pair the bottles with decorative shot glasses.

The result is a pretty sweet gift that tastes even better than most of the the flavored vodkas available at the liquor store.