I thought I couldn’t sink lower than Skittles vodka slushies.
But there I was, standing at the register in my regular liquor store, with a bottle of Stoli Whipped in my hand, simultaneously indignant (“This is for work; I don’t care what people think!) and ashamed. Eager to get home where this unholy experiment could unravel in the dark quiet of my kitchen.
The plan: Make a Candy Corn Martini.
“Wait… what?”
This was me a few weeks back when the Halloween season content was being determined, when my editor, all kinds of on-record for hating the stuff, decided I should make one for my “leftover candy” column.
I don’t even hate candy corn. But this just seemed wrong.
“Although I loathe candy corn,” she said, explaining her reasoning, “it is an iconic Halloween candy. And it was pretty.”
The Candy Corn Martini is a lesson in “looks aren’t everything.”
Also, in layering.
Drink the rainbow. Skittles vodka slushies hack into that Halloween stash
At the base, candy corn vodka, made by dissolving the happy little nuggets in a toxic bath of Stoli. The recipe suggested vanilla or whipped (which is supposed to be whipped cream-flavored).
“I’d have gone with vanilla,” Arthur Boothe told me later.
I enlisted this pro bartender, owner of Death in the Afternoon (930 N. Mills Ave. in Orlando), for help after making the recipe, which, as my boss had hoped, was cute.
It was also utterly undrinkable. The flavor of the candy corn vodka, buried at the bottom, was lost in a wash of pineapple juice, which comprised the middle layer. Topped (or more accurately, virtually sealed-in) with whipped cream, one must fight their lips through to the drink beneath or else make an effort to get both drink and whipped cream in one’s mouth.
There is no elegant way to do this. Moreover, with one sip, the spell is broken, and the cocktail’s true nature, like a demon slipping from its disguise, reveals itself. It is an abomination.
And so, I wondered: Could I make a true cocktail for candy corn lovers that wasn’t?
Boothe’s input helped.
“Nobody at home is going to layer a drink,” he opined. “I wouldn’t.”
And yet Google turned up 20 versions of this drink on the first search. None, no surprise here, were from places like Liquor or Punch.
There were a few variations — a couple included butterscotch schnapps, others listed molasses, maple syrup, cake vodka (dear God) — but all included the homemade candy hooch. And pineapple juice. I chose the one with the most good reviews (66).
Also, when I posted my intent on Facebook, the encouragement and barf-emoji responses were a statistical dead heat.
“They would,” I said. He laughed.
I told him my mission was to create a cocktail that looked pretty but also tasted like candy corn. I felt like the flavor was more important than making it a doppelganger.
“What about a Candy Corn Cosmo?” I offered.
“Like a 90s-style Carrie Bradshaw thing parading around as a martini? Yeah, that could be done.”
The thing with sweet cocktails, and while they’re not my cup of tea, people adore them, is that they still need some level of balance.
“Instead of pineapple, I’d go with something higher acid.”
In a traditional cosmopolitan, cranberry gives it a small hit, but lime does the heavy lifting, which is where I ended up. We discussed a deconstructed take, like a Porn Star Martini, a fruity coupe-glass affair that’s served with a sidecar of bubbles but then moved into French 75 territory, wherein the bubbles are poured over juice, gin and simple syrup. A pineapple syrup, he noted, could be a nice addition to the candy vodka, so I made some.
“Play with it,” he suggested and gave me some proportions to start with.
I did.
And in the end, I think I landed in a place that candy corn fans could appreciate, theme junkies could serve and I could manage to drink without adding too much to the sugar orgy that Halloween already is.
I give you the Candy Corn Cosmopolitan, wherein the homemade vodka pairs with lime juice and Aperol for a chilled and cheery-orange holiday sip that hints at its Brachs foundation while offering the bright balance of acid and bitterness. It’s still sweet (sweeter still with that sugar rim) but not at all treacly.
The Kandy Korn Kir Royale, my editor will note, offers a bit of layering at the serving point. This one’s simple and more candy corn-forward. The booze goes in the bottom of the flute; a dry prosecco is layered on top. It gives that candy corn-inspired visual, and a quick swizzle will bring that flavor up through the sparkling wine. You may even catch its distinct aroma.
I sent Boothe some pics.
“That’s great!” he wrote. “I was worried this would tarnish my record.”
Impossible, of course.
“My neighbors loved the cosmo and took all the leftover vodka I made,” I told him. “One of them was sipping it out of the jar.”
“They’re maniacs,” he said.
I sent pics of their holiday decorations.
“It all makes sense now. They’re probably a blast.”
They are. And so, too, will you be when you serve these in the wake of the holiday.
Want to reach out? Find me on Twitter, TikTok or Instagram @amydroo or on the OSFoodie Instagram account @orlando.foodie. Email: amthompson@orlandosentinel.com. Join the conversation at the Orlando Sentinel’s Facebook food group, Let’s Eat, Orlando.
Candy Corn Cosmopolitan (makes four-drink pitcher)
- 8 ounces candy corn vodka (see martini recipe for instructions)
- 4 ounces Aperol
- 2 ounces fresh lime juice
- Sugar (optional, for rimming the glasses)
Combine ingredients in shaker with ice. Shake about 30 seconds until well chilled. Strain into pre-rimmed (if using) martini glasses.
Kandy Korn Kir Royale
- 1/2 ounce candy corn vodka (per cocktail)
- 1 (750 ml) bottle of dry prosecco
- Candy pumpkins (optional, for garnish)
Add candy corn vodka to each flute. Drop in candy pumpkin if using. Slowly pour prosecco — down inside of glass or over a spoon — over vodka to fill flute if layering. Otherwise, simply fill flute and enjoy.
Festive Candy Corn Martini
Recipe courtesy SavoredSips.com (savoredsips.com/candy-corn-martini)
Ingredients
For the candy corn flavored vodka
- 5 ounces vanilla or whipped-flavored vodka (Boothe recommends vanilla)
- 1/4 cup candy corn
For the cocktail
- 2 ounces candy corn flavored vodka
- 1/2 ounce grenadine
- 3 ounces pineapple juice
- Whipped cream to cover the top of the glass
- Ice
InstructionsCombine the vodka and candy corn in a lidded container and soak for at least 4 hours, or overnight. Strain before using.Mix 1/2 ounce of grenadine into 2 ounces of the infused candy corn vodka then pour into each martini glass.Very slowly, pour in the pineapple juice over the back of a spoon or cocktail layering tool.Then slowly add whipped cream to cover the top of the glass.
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