A dash of nostalgia

All through our childhood, our folks would carefully ration the sugary delights so we don’t rot our teeth or overdose on candy. Hard sugar lollipops, chewy caramels, soft peppermints or the wispy fan-favourite, candyfloss, sugar has been everyone’s very first forbidden vice. Hence it only makes sense that in this day and age, we have found a way to combine our old-school favourites with our grown-up alcohol.

The very first time I heard of candy being used in cocktails was around 2011-2012, it was a do-it-yourself post for Skittles vodka. A bunch of students in the West found out that if they left a bag of the fruity candy soaking in cheap vodka long enough, it would dissolve and flavour the spirit enough to make it drink-worthy. Sure enough, it went viral. Thus started the trend of using candy in cocktails.

Although the West adopted this idea a few years ago, this concept has picked up in India only recently. To a purist, candy has no place in a cocktail but I must disagree. To put it simply, candy is sweet; and some cocktails need to be sweet - it’s the perfect match!

When used correctly, your childhood favourites might be exactly what you need to add an extra oomph to your drink. Mojito, for instance, can be given a fresh twist when fresh candyfloss is added to it. The effect is stunning as the candyfloss crumbles under the liquid, and combines to create a perfectly sweet and impressive cocktail.

Candy is a very forgiving ingredient to work with. If you keep in mind the flavour of the candy and what you want your final drink to taste like, you can make candy-flavoured cocktails out of any clear spirit. Vodka is generally preferred, since the spirit doesn’t have a taste of it’s own; but my favourite spirit to use is white rum, because it has a distinct taste and I prefer building my cocktail around it.

It isn’t always as simple as pouring your drink over the candy. While it is relatively simple to make a candyfloss-sweetened drink, the proportions change completely once you substitute the simple syrup. While building the cocktail, you have to remember to balance out the cloying sweetness of the candy with something tart.

The best way to raise the tartness of the drink is to increase the amount of limejuice used. A drink made of candyfloss would require about 30 ml of lime juice; but if you are using candy that’s less sweet, you could get away by using only 10 ml -15 ml. It's important to taste and adjust as necessary. Today, theatricality is an essential part of dining; and, if a drink comes with a dash of nostalgia, then why not?
Mervyn Fernandes is a bartender at Myx, Mumbai