When presented with a bowl, bag or basket sprinkled with jelly beans I've always gone straight for the red ones. When shaking up a jelly bean cocktail recipe it seemed appropriate to pay homage to my childhood favorite. This sip is sweet but not cloyingly so and it's the perfect way to enjoy the nostalgia of an Easter basket in a grown-up glass.
Jelly Bean Cocktail
Makes one drink
2 ounces cake vodka
1/2 ounce Maraschino liqueur
Splash of grenadine
Jelly beans for garnish, optional
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add the vodka, maraschino liqueur, and grenadine. Shake until chilled. Strain into a glass, drop in a few jelly beans for garnish and enjoy.
More Options: Here are some substitutions for your other favorite colored jelly bean cocktails.• Green- Substitute Midori for the Maraschino and skip the Grenadine, add a splash of sour mix.
• Blue- Substitute Blueberry or mixed berry vodka for half of the cake vodka. Substitute Blue Curaçao for the Maraschino. Skip the Grenadine.
• Yellow- Substitute pineapple liqueur for the Maraschino. Substitute pineapple juice for the Grenadine.
• Purple - Substitute concord grape juice for the Maraschino. Skip the Grenadine. (The grape juice makes this one is sweeter than the rest.)
• Pink - Substitute bubble gum flavored vodka instead of the Cake vodka. Substitute agave nectar for the Maraschino liqueur, and just a couple of drops of grenadine to give it a light pink color.
Maureen C. Petrosky writes what she knows: food, booze and parties. Author of The Wine Club, she appears regularly on The TODAY show to share her vices, and advice with the world. For more info check out www.maureenpetrosky.com.
Related: How to Batch Cocktails to Serve a Crowd
(Image: Maureen Petrosky)
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WTF is "cake vodka?" Also, the fact that bubble gum-flavored vodka exists makes me a little sad.
That being said, as a child I used to dissolve Skittles in 7Up to make it turn colors and become fruit flavored, so I suppose I'm not allowed to criticize.
Dear God. Cake vodka.
That's ... terrible. Reminds me of what people drink in the North German countryside, sweet pre-mixed schnaps-based concoctions like "sour apple" or "cherry", they get incredibly drunk and have the worst hangovers.