Recipes

How to make peppermint candy shot glasses

11 years ago

There are two things we really love to do at Christmas; one is to drink, and the other is to create weird and wonderful edible "treats" to give away as gifts (or scoff quietly by ourselves).

Occasionally, in a welcome dash of fate, these two endlessly entertaining activities collide.

And so it is with DIY peppermint candy shot glasses, picturesque little tankards which are so much more fun than the shop-brought variety.

In an idea conjured up by US drinks alchemist and blogger Cheri of The Watering Mouth, the cute homemade glasses are fashioned from melted-down peppermint candy.

Of course, melting candy is a bit of a messy, hit-and-miss process but that's all part of the joy of it. You basically arrange the candy on pieces of parchment paper, melt them down in the oven and then shape them over the top of actual shot glasses.

Cheri recommends using round candy cane sweets rather than candy canes, as they are easier to mould into pretty shades.

She suggests taking note of the candy's flavour, in order to match it with the liquor you choose to fill the glasses with. For example, peppermint would go nicely with peppermint schnapps, and so on.

She also warns you might burn your fingers a bit, because you only have a minute or so to mould the candy when it comes out of the oven before it hardens again.

Most important of all, you need to match the temperature of the shot glasses to that of the alcohol you use within - otherwise the glasses will crack. So if you're using room temperature liquor such as Bailey's, make sure your glasses are at room temperature. And if you are using frozen vodka, you also need to freeze the glasses.

You can just about getting away with serving warm drinks in them, such as spiked hot chocolate, but you need to have the glasses warm, as in just-made.

So now you want to make your own, right? Here's The Watering Mouth recipe, or scroll down to watch a video tutorial.

Ingredients

7 round, peppermint candies
parchment paper
shot glass
cookie sheet
beverage of your choice such as hot chocolate or Irish cream

Instructions

- Preheat your oven to 300F. Higher temperatures result in uneven melting and yellowing of the candy.

- Cut a square of parchment paper roughly 6" x 6" for each glass you will make. This will make it much easier to peel off the paper if you're doing more that one.

- Place your parchment paper on a cookie sheet and then arrange 7 candies tightly in a flower shape by placing one candy in the middle, and the other 6 touching all around, tightly with no gaps. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes. Keep an eye on it through the window, if you can.

- Time is of the essence with this last step! Remove the tray from the oven and place on a pot holder next to your upside-down shot glass. Have something cold (like a beer) nearby to soothe your fingers if they get too hot. Pick up the parchment paper (it's not hot) and set it on the counter close to the shot glass. Let it cool for about 10 seconds.

- Pick up the parchment and let it hang vertically. Start to peel off the edge of the candy quickly, and once it's able to be peeled off, just let it fall upside down on the countertop. This helps it from folding over and ruining your effort.

- Now quickly! Pick up the candy and place it, bottom side touching the shot glass. It will naturally fold over the bottom of the shot glass, but then you'll have to help it along by folding it further so it forms a cup shape. Once it reaches a certain point, it's impossible to shape it anymore, so be prepared to work very quickly.

- If it's too hot, it will melt down the glass like a Dali painting, which maybe a cool effect for some, but hurts your fingers more. If it cools too much, it won't be malleable at all. May take a couple tries to get the timing right.

- Let it cool until it's just warm to the touch. Be gentle and just pop it off the glass, no oil or spray required. You may have to twist a tiny bit to get it to release.

- Serve your drink of choice in the cups. They're reusable!

Sign up to receive Cheri's newsletters and a free copy of her healthy recipes e-cookbook here.

Photos, recipe and video: thewateringmouth.com

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