Hello! Did I ever think I’d be writing an article about alcohol for the internet? No! But that’s exactly what happened after I shared a picture of my rainbow jars with my cabin mates (Runagayhearts!!!) from A-Camp 4.0 on Facebook. BTW, Vanessa can be very convincing, who can say no to her?!
Let me tell you how I got this idea. It started with me going out the night before Halloween in search of a last minute pumpkin to carve. Turns out that’s not the best plan because everywhere I went was sold out. I also had to go to the grocery store to pick up some extra candy because I ate most of ours ahead of time. (It’s also not the best plan to buy Halloween candy two weeks early). As soon as I saw the big bags of Skittles, I thought about infusing it with vodka. I’ve heard of people doing it before but I never had. However, I’ve done the vodka gummy bear thing before and those are delicious. So, I got some more Halloween candy and the big bags of Skittles. I knew I already had vodka because I had just bought a bottle the previous week, but unfortunately I’m not hipster enough to have mason jars laying around, so I went to the hardware store to pick those up.
Here’s What You Will Need:
• Skittles and Vodka* (about 10 Skittles per ounce of vodka)
*You will lose some vodka during the filtration process so plan accordingly
• Bowls or plates or a big table so you can separate all the colors
• Something to filter out the waxy stuff (Coffee filters, French press, Aeropress, etc.)
• A funnel, if you take the coffee filter route
• A mason jar or something with a lid for each flavor you want to make
• Another jar or small pitcher to use when filtering
• Newspaper or old table cloth so that you don’t ruin your table (things get sticky)
• A freezer to chill the final product
• Sprite or ginger ale as a mixer, if you don’t want to drink it straight
Instructions:
1. Start by separating the Skittles by color.
2. Add the Skittles to the mason jars, one color per jar.
3. Add the vodka to the jar. Put the lid on and shake. You will see that the alcohol melts the color coating right off the candy and you will have a beautiful rainbow display.
4. Now, you just have to let them sit for 24 hours or so. Shake them occasionally so everything gets well mixed. While you wait for the magic to happen you could go to where the “magic happens.” Relax, I just went to bed and woke up the next morning and shook the jars before going to work because I’m boring, but you can do whatever you want with those hours. It would be a great time to marathon everything saved on your DVR or finally watch the Lord of the Rings series because you’ve never seen it and people have a hard time believing it (I know, I know, I’m halfway through the second one, okay… they’re just really long movies, guys). Anyway, You Do You!
5. Okay, time’s up! Here’s where the fun/slightly annoying part comes in. You will notice that there is a layer of waxy stuff on top. Most of the Skittles should have dissolved, but you could still have some stuck on the bottom. That is the inside of a Skittle, the part you usually eat, but we will be getting rid of it during the filtration process.
6. Get your Aeropress or whatever you decided to use as a filter and an empty jar/container. Assemble the Aeropress and put the empty jar underneath. Pour the Skittle-infused vodka into the press a little bit at a time so you don’t make a mess and press it through. Change the filter whenever you notice a buildup of Skittle residue. Heads up: it will be often. (I don’t have the steel filter for the Aeropress, but if you do, use that first and then switch to the paper filters. It will work much better and save you some time.)
7. It’s super important to clean everything after each filtration so you reduce the amount of wax that makes it into your drink and also because it can get very sticky and you don’t want to contaminate the different colors/flavors.
8. Repeat this process as many times as needed until you are satisfied with the result. You are (trying) to achieve a wax-free liquid. It will take some time, but be patient; you get to drink Skittle flavored vodka at the end. It’s also not the end of the world if you drink some of that stuff, since you would normally eat it if you were having Skittles in their solid form, so it’s fine. It’s mostly an aesthetic thing because people are less inclined to drink something with particles floating around in it.
9. If you are a bit of a perfectionist, like me, you can use the French press on your final filtration to get rid of any residue left behind. I didn’t use the French press to start with because I thought the filter would be too fine, but it might have been perfect, I don’t know. If you used a French press from the get go, tell me how well it worked in the comments section; I’d really love to know for future attempts!
10. Congratulations, you are finished! Now, you could just drink it right away, but it will be at room temperature and drinks are always better when chilled in my opinion. You could mix it with an ice cold Sprite or Ginger Ale to do the trick. I recommend putting the jars in the freezer until you’re ready to drink.
11. Pour a shot for you and your friends and there you have it, Skittle-Infused Vodka. CHEERS! Taste the Rainbow…Responsibly!
NOTE: Sugary drinks like this might give you a bad hangover, you’ve been warned. Hydrate!
Rachel is a soft spoken Long Islander and a proud member of the Runagayhearts family. She has a super chill cat and a gigantic dog. Sunrises, brunch, and sequential date (number) patterns are a few of her favorite things and she will never not do a crossword puzzle in pen.
OH MY GOD! It made me so happy to read this!
You guys, try this! The red one rates really good :)
Also, I’m so proud that my awesome cabinmate is an actual genius. Like, seriously guys, she’s perfect.
<3
I mean the skittle vodka is amazing obvs, but I just want to keep comment I by on the perfect human that is Rachel and how much I love her.
Adorable. Also I guess skittles are vegan for those of you who care about that? (not sure if that’s still true).
I’m probably too lazy for this because I don’t like incredibly sweet drinks, but for those of you who do it sounds perfect with ginger ale.
Yay Rachel! This is awesome I am so glad this is a thing. (#runagayheartsforlife)
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Rachel I wish you could’ve been here to hear me read this because I was laughing out loud the whole time. You have such a funny, good natured sense of humor. And stick with Lord of the Rings!! The third one is CRAZY. xoxo
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I might have to double check on the gelatin status of skittles, cuz I reeeeally want this now.
The bag says Gluten Free and Gelatin Free.
Also it would apparently be a good opportunity for me to finally watch LOTR
This is too perfect. You’re too perfect. Also, I’m still really uncomfortable about the amount of wax in skittles.
who knew (the wax)? at least I didn’t.
<3
The amount of wax freaks me out too! But this looks delicious! Ace job, Rachel!
I was totally freaked out about the wax, too! So gross.
this is perfect. thank you so much for letting me convince you to write this up for everyone to enjoy!
also your bio is so cute and i am really excited that i know you.
I’m really excited that I know you too <3
I’m trying trying to ignore all the wax so I don’t feel bad about still wanting to eat them
This is cool. A friend of mine did this with rhubarb and custards and other British boiled sweets, it was amazing. Same process but no wax as the sweets are hard all through, but she left them a week to fully dissolve…thinking I might have a go at candy cane vodka for xmas.
You’re a genius! Ok that’s everyone’s xmas presents sorted.
I’ve done this with a ton of pomegranate, but Skittles never crossed my mind. This could be great for new years.
Anyone think sound skittles could be good with this?
This reminds me of this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gtzoi4ZRCGk
I thought of the same thing. Mamrie = <3
And now I should actually totally do this.
I am SO EXCITED to try this. Because I am lacking in fancy coffee-making things, I think I’m going to try a coffee filter and see how annoyed I get before I call my friend to make her bring over her French press.
good luck!
We did this at one of my ultimate frisbee team’s parties in college, and I woke up the next day with what was (at the time) the worst hangover I’ve ever had. Like couldn’t actually get out of bed until 6pm because I just had no energy and sort of wanted to die.
Moral of the story: be careful. This rainbowy goodness bites back.
Haha. Sounds delicious, but the projected hangover is discouraging. Taste the rainbow.
LITTLE! This makes me maybe want to try candy-infused vodka again. I was sorely disappointed by gummy shark vodka, and also by how gross gummy sharks soaked in vodka are.
Side note: I always do my crossword puzzles in pen.
BIG! <3
So, instead of coming out to my parents with a rainbow cake like a lot of people do, I’m going to come out with rainbow vodka. I’ll have my parents help me make the skittle-infused vodka, then when we’re all sipping on our drinks I’ll say, “wow, this is probably the gayest thing you guys have made since 1991…bottoms up!”
That is pretty excellent. 3
I FULLY SUPPORT THIS DECISION!
wow you are a genius for real <3
THIS IS SO GOOD.
Um, two years late to this party but just wanted to say YES YES YES.
Delicious! I like to put the Skittles vodka back in the original bottles. (I use small bottles if doing this) They make good gifts for Holidays or birthdays. Everyone has loved them so far. I agree with the hangover issue too. Hydrate accordingly! :)
Also, I know from my dad, who worked for a candy company for many years, that most soft candy has wax in it. It’s super common. If the manufacturers didn’t coat the candy in wax, it would melt into a big mess before it even reached the shelves. (They start making candy for the Holidays right after Easter, that’s a long time from the factory to the store.) Wax also gives candy that pretty glossy look.
Talk about tasting the rainbow. =D
Hmm, this actually might make an awesome Christmas present.
Yay, Rachel!
*Runagay Pride*
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RACHELLLLLLLLLL!!! You are perf, skittles vodka is perfect, and now you’re a real life published person on autostraddle dot com. I love you runagay!!!
<3
Five years ago I would’ve loved that shit, but vodka is no longer my friend. How do you make wine skittle flavoured? Is that possible? Would it be disgusting (yes)? 23 has been a hard age for me everyone.
Wine my not have enough alcohol to infuse it, but worth a shot with maybe some thicker wine, like port?