Thanksgiving is rapidly approaching for our US friends and I spent the better part of last week surfing the internet trying to find an appropriate way to help them celebrate the occasion. I couldn't find any cocktails that contained turkey or mashed potatoes so I went with the next best thing.
I'm going to confess that until this morning I actually thought Thanksgiving was tomorrow. My blissful ignorance of important holiday dates gives you plenty of time to run out and get the ingredients you'll need to serve this up at your own Thanksgiving dinner next week. There is a bit of alchemy involved with this cocktail so I've left you plenty of time for the infusing process as well. You're welcome. No need to thank me.
I was pretty taken with this idea when I saw it because it just screams Halloween/Thanksgiving to me but the trouble is candy corn is a bit thin on the ground Down Under. I've never seen it for sale here. So you can imagine my delight when I stumbled across an international lolly shop last Friday completely by accident, and lo and behold it had candy corn for sale. I happened to be with a family I work for at the time and that mother now thinks I'm completely crazy because my discovery was accompanied by much excitement and possibly a few squeals of delight. Nothing like losing that thin veneer of professionalism when your work life and home life suddenly collide.
This is officially the most expensive candy corn in existence. Given the price of the bag ($10.00) I think it must have been flown here on a magic carpet, accompanied by baby unicorns and a bag of hens teeth.
OK- now on to the fun part. You're going to need:
4 oz. Vodka
1/2 cup of candy corn
2 oz. Cointreau
Juice of a 1/2 lemon
Crushed ice
No trips to Dan Murphy this week..I had everything I needed at home...like the good little alcoholic that I am.
Take your vodka and put it in a jar with a lid. Or if you're classy like me you'll use a beer glass and plastic wrap. Then chuck in your candy corn and give it a shake. Slowly back away from the Vodka and go and do something else for a minimum of 12 hours. Go to work , dance a jig, knit a blanket. Sneak back occasionally and shake the jar to get all that candy corn goodness happening.
Once most or all of your candy corn has disappeared and you've tired of knitting or dancing it's time to strain your vodka mix into a cocktail shaker. Dump in all the other ingredients and give it a shake ala Tom Cruise in the movie Cocktail. Pour it into a glass and take an arty photo like this one to celebrate making a Candy Corn Martini.
The first mouthful tastes like paint stripper but it gets much more palatable with each passing sip. I couldn't really taste the sweetness of the candy corn in amongst all the booze but maybe that's just me.
I reckon by the second one you'd be drunk enough to contemplate making a third. If you could see straight.
Rating 2.5/5. I wouldn't turn one down if it was free but I wouldn't go out of my way to make it again.
Salut!
Salut!
OK...I was going to put this on the Thanksgiving list but with your review I think I'll hold off. It is quite pretty though and especially with your artsy photo :)
ReplyDeleteNo offence, but it sounds vile. I'll wait for something better next week. ;-)
ReplyDeleteWell, it looks good. Paint stripper, though, huh? Can't have everything, I guess. I appreciate your willingness to try these and report your honest impressions.
ReplyDeleteFree is good! I've enjoyed your experience! Thanks for the review.
ReplyDeleteHugs
Candy corn in a cocktail - well I never... what will they think of next? Good on you for being brave enough to try such a cocktail. I like your presentation this week with the cocktail umbrellas!
ReplyDeleteIt's so hard to be committed to this after reading your reviews. However, I've got the vodka/candy corn mixture going and tonight we're going to have them ... paint stripper? If only I had a table the needed to have the paint stripped ... In reading your post I realized that I didn't even bother to read the quantities for the candy corn and vodka. I just threw them together in a jar .. haha. this should be interesting.
ReplyDeleteUmm...well, umm...I just don't know what to say about a candy corn cocktail. Thanks for trying it so the rest of us don't have to learn what paint stripper must taste like. I so wish you didn't have a nut allergy, because the way we eat candy corn is with M&Ms and peanuts. Tastes like a Butterfinger candy bar...but I guess you don't know what those taste like...so you're not missing anything ;)
ReplyDeleteLoving your Cocktail Wednesday posts. PS...When we dine at the in-law's for Thanksgiving (this year!) we drink Bourbon Slush. If you want the recipe, just let me know. Happy Thursday & Happy Cocktailing! :)
It sure looks pretty.
ReplyDeleteClients sometimes need reminding you're not only about work life.
Definately pass on this one. I came up with something of my own this week, after having half a bottle of sparkling left over, what to add it to I thought. I found the cointreau and decided to had half a jig and some ice to the bottom of the glass and top with the sparkling. Not too bad
ReplyDeleteHahaha....you crack me up. I'll just drop some candy corn in my beer....thank you very much.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Susan, it sounds vile, and fortunately (for me) I was away so couldn't join in. I'm intrigued to see what Thea thinks of it. I'm hoping that whatever I come up with next week will be better than this one and my bad choice from last week.
ReplyDeleteYep pass for me too....always fancy trying egg nog though.
ReplyDeleteWow, you had me at 'paint thinner'.
ReplyDeleteI'm still reeling over $10 for a bag of candy corn!!!!! You poor Aussies. How do you come up with the unicorn, magic carpet, hen's teeth references?? No wonder you can't sleep!
Definitely take Larri up on her offer of the bourbon slush - it's refreshing and would be perfect for the gorgeous weather I hope you're having. And, here's hoping you don't have to go to Dan Murphy's for supplies! You know, maybe a booze company would sponsor your blog (or a candy corn company).
I'll pass......somehow I think dropping candy corn in a glass of moscato wouldn't be the same......
ReplyDeleteHmmm I decided to give this one a miss, and seeing as I was late joining in I went back and made Purple Rain. Of course this involved a trip to Uncle Dan's because we are such newbies when it comes to cocktails and the guy on the register said "oh you must behaving a cocktail party". Yeah sort of I said - I wasn't going to admit it was just the hubby and I. "Are you making Fruit Tingles?" he asked? So of course I had to get the recipe from him and make those too - yum!!
ReplyDeleteI am not sure I would want to drink something that tasted like paint thinner, but I will believe you when it says that it gets better.
ReplyDeleteI recently had a cosmopolitan with white cranberry juice! It rocked!
Holy food colouring high Batman! Plus, I'd be expecting gold plated corn for that money...
ReplyDeleteTime for an old favourite like a Grasshopper or a Pina Colada I think ????
ReplyDeleteIt certainly turned out pretty!
ReplyDeleteAs far as follow up drinks, I understand where you are coming from. It is like that with wine. The first glass from the box i am all like, "hey this isn't bad for wine in a box. Wonder if wine in a bottle would really be that much better?" By the 3rd glass, I no longer care, and I have a feeling it would be the same if that wine came from a bottle too. :)
I had a martini Thanksgiving one year, I think it all went well!
ReplyDeleteI didn't know there were such exotic cocktails out there. It is certainly a pretty cocktail even if it's not truly palatable.
ReplyDeletePicture is fab, but I don't care for candy corn AND your review was not encouraging.
ReplyDeleteOh yeah, I don't drink - hahaha, enjoyable post anyway!
ReplyDeleteMmmm paint stripper, yum - not! Don't think this one will be on my to do list! Good on you for having a crack at it, I would have read the recipe and thought, 'Nah'!
ReplyDeleteIt's a very pretty color and I love your arsty photo. Too bad it doesn't taste as good as it looks. But then, I never liked Candy Corn much anyway.
ReplyDeletexo -E