Three Ways to Decorate Halloween Cocktails With Candy
Halloween is coming soon and I know what you’re thinking: “How can I cram more candy into my body?” Eating candy as a snack is a good start, but for a well-balanced Halloween, it’s important to also include sweets in your drinks. As you plan to celebrate this weekend, consider buying extra candies to spice up your spooky cocktails with a candy garnish. They can be much more free than you might think ( read pairing ideas here ). They also greatly enhance the festive factor with their vibrant colors and eye-catching packaging. You can decorate your drinks in three spooky ways: grilled style, a simple adding technique, or freezing in an ice cube.
I recommend the grill look for most chocolates, like the funny Milky Ways or Snickers, because what’s the point of funny sizes anyway, if you don’t put on a skewer for your drink – and you can leave a shiny metal wrapper. The wrapper helps your guests identify the candies they like, and unwrapped chocolates are poop-shaped and usually don’t look very attractive on the bottom of Manhattan. (It’s more like the bottom of the East River.)
Plus, you can skewer them ahead of time without touching them all, so you have a stack ready to top the cocktails when guests arrive without exposing the candy to the elements. It’s also a great option if you want to give your guests the choice of whether they want candy at all. I used a bamboo skewer cut in half, but you can buy large toothpicks that work just as well. Just make sure the length is longer than the neckline of the goggles you will be using.
You can use skewers, grilled or any other soft candies, but it’s better to use themed candies like gummy vampires , skulls , or gummy eyeballs , although I think these candies are more effective as a garnish. Eyeballs and gummy worms are fantastic because they look ghostly and misshapen at the bottom of a martini glass. The cloudier the cocktail, the better. Especially if you are trying to impress some guests. Gummies are especially good because, unlike Skittles or M&Ms (not scary candy, of course), the gelatin prevents them from easily dissolving in water. The gummies won’t dissolve in the drink, so you won’t change the taste of your smoothie or candy when you hit the bottom. Keep in mind that sour gummies should match the drink you put them in: the sour powder and granulated sugar are on the surface of the gummies and they dissolve fairly quickly into the drink. If you choose to use sour candies, stick to tangy citrus garnishes with cocktails.
The ice cube method is one of my favorite ways to decorate with candy. Just prepare an ice cube tray half filled with water. Insert any small holiday candies you like. Once again I suggest lollipops that do not dissolve quickly, so leave the smarties alone. (Actually, leave them at the store.) On the other hand, if you use dissolving candy, you’ll end up with a colorful ice cube. Sticky eyeballs and vampire teeth look great in cubes. Put one or two candies in each recess – it’s okay if they stick out a little, sometimes even better. Place them in the freezer for about three hours until they are completely frozen. The cubes will fog up slightly, resulting in a rather spooky cube. Slide one off the tray, toss it into a rocks glass for a fabulously whimsical cocktail, and enjoy the energy boost of these candy-filled drinks.