Candy Infused Vodka for Purim

A colorful and alcoholic treat that's perfect for Purim revelry.

By Tamar Fox

Lots of people are infusing vodka with candy--especially Skittles-- these days, and the results look colorful and fun. But Skittles aren't kosher. Still, I wanted to infuse my own vodka, and came up with this fun variation on the trend using kosher candy in a variety of flavors and colors. Perfect for giving as gifts on Purim and for making mixed drinks. Here's how it works:
First, gather the ingredients and tools you'll need.

Ingredients:

One 1.75 liter bottle of vodka

A total of 1 lb of kosher hard candies. You can use Lemonheads, Red Hots, Starlight mints, even jelly beans.

Tools and utensils:

One large empty plastic water bottle for each flavor or color that you're making

A funnel

A large multi-cup measuring cup with a spout

Coffee filters or paper towels

Glass bottles for storage

Next, separate your candy by color and kind. This is only necessary if you're using a candy that comes in one package with many colors (like jelly beans). If you're using Lemonheads and Red Hots, for instance, you can skip this step.

Pour one flavor of candy into each infusion bottle. Then, pour vodka into each water bottle. If you're making three or four flavors, try to divide the vodka into three or four bottles leaving approximately even amounts of vodka in each bottle. If you're making four flavors, this will be about 15 ounces of vodka in each bottle.

Put the caps back on the bottles, and shake vigorously. The more you shake, the more quickly the candy will dissolve. Set the bottles aside for a few hours, and then come back and shake them again. Ideally, leave them overnight, and shake in the morning. After 24 hours, most of the candy will have dissolved, and you should be left with brightly colored vodka with some little bits of candy floating in it. The candies will dissolve at different rates, so don't be surprised if there's nothing left of your Lemonheads, but the jelly beans are mostly intact. If the candy hasn't dissolved significantly, shake it again, and leave it for another day.

At this point you can put the bottles in the freezer, to chill. The bits of candy will add a little crunch to your drinks. But, if you want to strain out whatever's left, you'll be left with a smoother and slightly fancier looking drink.

To strain the vodka, start by putting a funnel inside a large measuring cup. Put a coffee filter in the funnel. Pour one of the infusions into the strainer setup. Pour slowly, and allow the liquid time to soak through. In the end, you should have about 13 ounces of candy infused vodka. Toss out the filter and whatever was caught in it. Pour the vodka into clean empty glass bottles, easy to find at dollar and houseware stores.

Repeat this process for each flavor. Stick the bottles in the freezer overnight and voila! Candy flavored vodka, ready for your Purim celebrations.

MyJewishLearning.com reminds you to enjoy your candy flavored vodka responsibly.
 

Tamar Fox is as associate editor at MyJewishLearning.com. She has an MFA in fiction writing from Vanderbilt University, and a BA from the University of Iowa. She has worked as the editor of the religion blog at Jewcy.com, and is on the Editorial Board at The Jew and the Carrot. She spent a summer as a fellow at Yeshivat Hadar, and was a Senior Apprentice Artist for four years at Gallery 37 in Chicago.