The Candyhol Project continues

After the Skittles experiment, we tried a few other combinations, but unfortunately we were so eager to try them that we totally failed at taking pictures or forming any coherent thoughts about the results. In the coming weeks, we'll probably recreate some of the better ones.

In the meantime, we put together a new batch of infusions. The following selection was chosen from our candy stash:



And also some Pez. We neglected to get a picture of the packaging, but I'm sure you all have a pretty good idea what Pez looks like.




Matt tests the Warheads for quality control purposes.


All four took on a strange cloudy consistency immediately after adding the vodka. This is normal... really.

The Pez and Warheads dissolved within the first couple hours. The Baskin-Robbins and Werthers took longer. We let them all sit overnight in the freezer, giving them a shake whenever we happened to remember to, then strained them out the next day. By that time, both the Caramel Mint Werthers and the Cookies n' Cream Baskin-Robbins candies had taken odd a rather disturbingly creamy appearance.


Cookies n' Cream Candy + Vodka = Chocolate Milk of Death?


Meanwhile, the Pez and Warhead infusions had assumed some delightfully terrifying colors.

The pink/blue strained easily through a coffee filter; we had to use cheesecloth for the creamy ones.

Then, it was time for the moment of truth...



The Aftermath:

Pez: Probably the blandest of the four. Didn't taste bad but didn't have much unique flavor of its own. Mostly just tasted like sugar.

Blue Raspberry Warheads: Everyone had the same reaction to this: Shoot, stare, say "mmm", then double over in pain. The sourness transferred over amazingly well.

Caramel Mint Werthers: Truly a success. Had a rich smoothness that would transfer well into a plethora of mixed drinks.

Cookies n' Cream Hard Candies: My personal favorite. Tasted rather like a melted milkshake, with some alcohol thrown in for shits and giggles.


As promised, here are some drink recipes :)


Foo-Foo Irish Coffee

* 1 cup hot coffee
* 2 oz Caramel Mint Werthers-infused vodka
* splash of Irish whiskey

Top with whipped cream and serve to a hot underage barista.


Suicide Bomber

* 2 oz Blue Raspberry Warhead-infused vodka
* 1 oz Triple Sec or Cointreau
* dash of lime juice

Shake, strain, and serve as a shooter.


Bonus Drink: Candy Raver!!

* 1/2 oz Blue Raspberry Warhead-infused vodka
* 1/2 oz Pez-infused vodka

Layer blue over pink like so:

The Candyhol Project, First Post

Welcome to Bad Spirits, a blog about our alcohol-related experiments. We'll be hopefully making at least a post or two per week documenting our creations. We'll offer step-by-step instructions as to how you can duplicate our experiments at home, along with pictures, commentary, and potential drink recipes.

Our first major project involves candy + liquor, in as many different permutations as we can invent/afford. This was inspired by SkittleBrau but more directly by a fellow blogger who created Skittles vodka (unfortunately I can't find the original blog post, link goes to wikiHow page). I was mesmerized by the photos of the finished product, as these infusions have eerily bright glows not found in nature.

Here is what we started with:


The makings of a great Friday night.

We quickly discovered that a regular-sized bottle of vodka is just enough to fill five small Mason jars. Taking that as a good omen sent from the alcogods, we added the vodka to the Skittles. I'd expected the bright colors to take hold only after letting the mixture sit for at least a few hours, but no sirree! The moment the vodka touched the candy, the mixture instantly took on the aforementioned eerie glow. It was a thing to behold.

After taking turns shaking the jars for a couple of hours, the Skittles had almost entirely dissolved, leaving little evidence of their existence other than a couple tenaciously sticky lumps at the bottom and a thin layer of whitish sludge forming on top. We tried first filtering through cheesecloth, but quickly found that one layer didn't catch all the sludge, and two layers clogged up too quickly, making the whole process tedious. We finally settled on using a coffee filter, pouring a little in at a time, then squeezing it out and beginning anew.


Midway through the straining process.

Finally, it was time to sample our unholy creations.


Five flavors, five friends.


Our faces upon realizing that, yes, we ARE drinking SkittleVodka.

The aftermath:

Red: Tasty, with a fruit-punchy sweetness.
Orange: Had a vaguely Orange Cream-like flavor.
Yellow: Very lemony-fresh. One person dubbed it "Ghettocello" from its sticky-sweetified resemblance to Limoncello.
Green: Strong smelling and bright slime-green. Sweet but not strongly tart. Overall flavor similar to a lime popsicle.
Purple: Probably the crowd favorite. This one actually had a depth of flavor that the others lacked. Wasn't nearly as punch-you-in-the-mouth-GRAPE as I was expecting/fearing. Would be excellent mixed with any berry-based drink (Chambord, perhaps?).