As you may already know, we’re delving into the world of all things colorful and candied this week, and cocktail hour is no exception. At Brit HQ, we’ve got a love/hate relationship with Red Bull. It’s gotten us through some late nights at the office and on the dance floor, and that fragrance is like nothing else! Nothing else…besides candy! And wouldn’t you know it, our resident stylist Misty happens to moonlight as an award-winning mixologist. She let us in on a little secret: when combined with a few freshly squeezed juices, a little liquor, and a spot of ice, Red Bull is an absolute bar essential for a round of colorful cocktails that taste just like candy.
We turned to the candy drawer for inspiration, and came up with 5 totally tipsy concoctions sure to make you feel like a 21-year old all over again: The Sweetest Sweet Tart, The Jolly Rum Rancher, The Sour Patch Margarita, The Sparkling Starburst, and finally, The Skittle-tini.
First, gather up all of your ingredients. For liquor, we used Smirnoff Vodka, Smirnoff Citrus Vodka, Hendrick’s Gin, Bacardi White Rum, and Casadores Repisado Tequila.
Next, time to prep your juices and fruits. For the grapefruit juice, we couldn’t find our juicer so we got scrappy and used a combination of brute strength and a fork. We do recommend a juicer though! :)
For lemon and lime juice, you can do the same, or head to the grocery store and grab a bottle of RealLemon Lemon Juice and RealLemon Lime.
Now you’ve got your cocktail station ready to go for some candy-riffic mixology!
The Sweetest Sweet Tart
– 2 fl oz Smirnoff Citrus Vodka
– 1/2 fl oz lemon juice
– 1/2 fl oz lime juice
– 1 fl oz Red Bull
Pour all ingredients in a shaker over ice, shake, and strain. For the rim, we used a lemon wedge to moisten the edge of the glass. We wanted a Swee tTart rim so we got out our trusty hammer and ziploc and crushed a handful of Sweet Tarts. Then, roll your glass in the simple syrup and repeat with the crushed Sweet Tarts. Why Sweet Tart sanding sugar does not yet exist, we really don’t know. Pour your drink over ice, add a slice of lemon on the top, add a couple Sweet Tarts, et voila!
The Jolly Rum Rancher
– 2 fl oz Bacardi White Rum
– 1/2 fl oz orange juice
– 1/2 fl oz cranberry
– 1/2 fl oz simple syrup
– 1/2 fl oz Red Bull
– fresh blueberries
First, we created a blue rum infusion. Pour 2-4 fl oz of rum into a glass or jar, and add a few blue raspberry Jolly Ranchers. Let sit for at least an hour. Once your rum is looking good and blue, you’re ready to shake things up.
– 1 fl oz lime juice
– 1 fl oz simple syrup
– 3/4 fl oz Red Bull
For the rim, you’ll need a bit of simple syrup. To make this, heat 1 cup of water with 1 cup of sugar until the mixture is a consistency that suits you. When using simple syrup as a sweetener, you can leave it pretty watery. If you need it as a rim “glue,” you’ll want to thicken it up a bit more. For the margarita rim, we rimmed the glass in simple syrup and then rolled the rim in chopped up sour patch candies (chopped up sour patch kids just sounds wrong).
Pour all drink ingredients in a shaker over ice, shake, strain, and pour into your rimmed glass.
– 1 fl oz grapefruit juice (freshly squeezed ruby red grapefruits are best)
– 1/2 fl oz lemon juice
– 1/2 fl oz simple syrup
– 1/2 fl oz Red Bull
Pour all of your ingredients into a shaker, shake and strain. For the garnish, we rolled out a yellow Starburst and used one of our favorite mini cookie cutters to cut out a star.
– 1/2 fl oz Red Bull
– red Skittles
Our second infusion of the day is made with red Skittles. Pour 2-4 fl oz of vodka into a glass or jar, then add a splash of Red Bull and a handful of red Skittles. Let sit for at least an hour. Once your vodka is looking good and red, you’re ready to shake things up. Spoon out the Skittles and discard.
Pour all ingredients into shaker over ice, shake and strain. Garnish with lemon.
Now you’re a certified Candy Cocktail-ologist, ready to serve up sweet tipsy treats at your next cocktail party!
We recommend following up your candy cocktail hour with a dance floor, where the combination of sugar high, Red Bull energy and alcohol is sure to reach its full potential. ;)
Leave us a note in the comments below if you have any questions. And if you give any of these recipes a whirl, send us a pic on Twitter. Happy Mixing!
