This Candy Company Has Your New Favorite Boozy Pairing Menu
Sugarfina is your childhood dream all grown up. Behind the infamous Beverly Hills candy boutique stands a maker couple of fairy tale origins: founder Rosie O’Neill dreamt up the concept with her now-husband, Josh Resnick. After a sweet date to see Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, they started dreaming of an adult take on candy shops. The duo began traveling around taste-testing thousands of candies and sold their finds online. As press mounted and relationships with international candy makers flourished, what started as a side project turned into a dream job: The sweet couple now curates the one of finest candy collections in the world.
While there are plenty of unique treats to satisfy your sweet tooth (everything from Matcha Green Tea Caramels to heart-shaped jelly beans infused with honey), the shining star of Sugarfina is without a doubt the ingenious invention of cocktail candy. The inspiration behind this beautiful creation? Take something that makes you feel like a kid and pair it with something grown-up. Thus champagne gummy bears were born. But we won’t stop there. Here is your go-to guide for pairing cocktails and candy:
Champagne Gummy Bears
Start off easy with the simple pairing of Sugarfina’s champagne gummy bears and some bubbly. The trick here is to choose the perfect champagne. Because your guests will be popping all kinds of candy, it is best to stick with a drier champagne, prosecco, or even a dry sparkling rosé (because who are we kidding; that pink bubbly next to those adorable bears = best Instagram ever).
Martini Olive Almonds
The ideal sweet and salty complement to your basic martini. No frills here — just rely on the classic vodka or gin recipe, and let the salty almonds coated in silky milk chocolate do the rest of the work. (Is anyone else getting hungry?)
Cuba Libre Gummies
Who doesn’t love a Cuba Libre? What should, in this author’s opinion, be the official drink of summertime pairs wonderfully with these zesty gummies. You can really taste the Coca Cola coming through, and it’s great to have a little treat to pop in your mouth in between sips. Spice it up with a lime wedge garnish for a refreshingly sour contrast.
Maple Bourbon Caramels
Maker’s Mark actually approached Sugarfina for this collaboration. Sugarfina took the bourbon to their caramel maker, condensed it down to a concentrate, and infused it into the mixture to form the Maple Bourbon Caramels. Encased in a dark chocolate shell, these go great with bourbon on the rocks.
Set this spread up, and we assure you your guests will be like kids in a candy shop (we couldn’t resist). As for Sugarfina, things just keep getting sweeter — starting this year, you can look for new stores popping up from coast to coast. Says O’Neill of the growth, “It has genuinely surprised us. We started it as a hobby. We started it as a thing we knew we liked and we though other people might like, and we’re kind of blown away by how fast it has taken off. It’s amazing.” We say cheers to that. Uncork the bubbly and pop a few champagne gummy bears into your mouth, and let us know what you and your guests think!
Are you trying these candy and cocktail pairings at home? If so, let us know your favorite pairing! Share photos or tweets with the hashtag #britstagram so we can take a peek.
