You can’t go to Mexico without trying at least one of their delicious cocktails!
There are so many different drinks out there, but this particular cocktail has been around since 1828.
It was created by José Antonio de la Cruz, who named it “candy shot” because he thought it tasted like candy when mixed with sugar syrup.
The name stuck, and today we call it a Mexican candy shot. But what exactly makes it unique from other similar beverages?
What Are The Ingredients In A Mexican Candy Shot?
The most important ingredient of all is tequila — that is why they’re called “tequila shots.”
However, some versions also include rum or even brandy.
Some recipes may use agave nectar instead of simple syrup.
You can find both types of syrups in your local supermarket.
In addition to these ingredients, you will need fresh fruit, ginger, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves, cardamom pods, vanilla extract, lime juice, salt, and ice cubes.
But how about the garnishes?
What kind of fruits should you add to your Mexican candy shot?
Are there any special tricks you should know before adding them?
Let’s take a closer look at some common ways you can serve your favorite Mexican candy shot.
- Watermelon
- Mango
- Pomegranate
- Kiwi
- Strawberry
- Lime
- Orange (or grapefruit)
Cinnamon Stick Garnish
This method requires a few steps, but it offers an excellent presentation.
Start by cutting off the top and bottom ends of the cinnamon stick.
Then cut each end into four pieces, making two cuts on either side of the stalk.
Finally, place the pieces together and secure with toothpick.
Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Garnish
Start by breaking up half of the chocolate chips into smaller pieces.
Take the remaining half of the chocolate chips and roll them between your hands until they form small balls.
Place one ball onto the edge of each plate, then sprinkle the rest of your chopped chocolate chips over the top.
Fruit Cocktail Garnish
Here is another creative way to garnish your Mexican candy shot.
Cut three slices of pineapple into quarters lengthwise.
Remove the core from each quarter using a vegetable peeler.
Now, slice the peels crosswise into ¼ inch strips.
Arrange the slices on top of each glass, alternating colors as desired.
Ginger Snap Garnish
Cutting off the stem and removing the skin from the root of the ginger snap allows you to remove sections easily.
Use a sharp knife to carefully cut down the sides of the cake.
This will create triangular pieces of cake.
If you want to be extra careful with the process, use scissors to snip the edges of the triangles after they have been sliced off.
Nutty Chocolate Shell Garnish
For this recipe, you will need a blender.
Add nuts, cream cheese, cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and unsweetened coconut flakes to a food processor bowl. Blend everything together until smooth.
Spoon the mixture back into the container used for blending.
Using a spoon, spread the nut butter on top of each serving dish.
Once done, refrigerate for 20 minutes before placing the dishes on top of the prepared glasses.
How Do You Make A Mexican Candy Shot?
The traditional way to create an authentic Mexican candy shot involves using agave nectar (a type of honey) as a base and adding several types of fruit.
You can use fresh or frozen mangoes, peaches, pineapple, melons, watermelon, strawberries, papaya, or even citrus juices such as orange juice or lemon juice.
But if you want to be adventurous, try making your own version of a Mexican candy shot!
Here are some simple recipes that will help you get started:
- 1/4 cup agave nectar + 1 lime wedge + 2 tablespoons lime juice + club soda (optional)
- 3 ounces rum + 1 ounce triple sec + 3 ounces cranberry juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract + 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
- 1 bottle red wine (such as cabernet sauvignon or merlot)
- 1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
A few notes about these recipes:
Agave nectar is available in most grocery stores now.
If you don’t have access to agave nectar, regular honey works just fine in its place.
If you want to add additional flavor, feel free to experiment with other flavors of liquor (e.g., vodka or bourbon).
Pomegranates come canned in brine in most grocery store produce sections.
However, if you prefer not to buy them in season, you can always purchase dried ones on Amazon.
What Is The Best Mexican Candy Shot Recipe?
The key ingredient in any good Mexican candy shot is tequila.
Tequila is an alcoholic beverage that comes from agave plants.
Agave plants are native to Mexico and Central America, where they grow naturally in the wild.
They were first cultivated as far back as 300 BC, and have become more widely known throughout Europe and North America over time.
When people think about Mexican culture, they often associate it with food.
This is due to its large influence on American cuisine.
For example, tacos became very popular after coming across them during the Spanish colonization of Mexico.
And while tacos are not only associated with Mexican culture, they are also commonly used as an appetizer or dessert.
As for Mexican candy shots, it is no surprise that they are most frequently served chilled.
In fact, these drinks are usually served cold.
That way, guests don’t need to worry about getting warm after enjoying the drink, which would be awkward if they had to use a glass or cup.
So how does this affect the recipe?
Well, the colder temperature allows for the ingredients to chill faster than a room temperature drink would allow.
In addition to being chilled, tequila helps the process along.
When preparing your shot, pour 2 ounces (60ml) into each shot glass, then top off the glasses with sugar syrup.
Place ice cubes in the bottom of each glass until the liquid reaches the rim.
Next, add 1/4 ounce (7mL) of simple syrup and 1/3 ounce (80mL) of fresh lime juice.
Finally, fill up the rest of the glasses with prepared tequila and garnish with fruit slices, such as strawberries or pineapple.
These items will help create layers within the shot glass by adding color and flavor.
What Are Some Popular Mexican Candy Shots?
There are several types of Mexican candy shots that people enjoy on special occasions such as birthdays and holidays. Some of them include:
- The traditional candied fruit shooter (pictured above)
- A strawberry or pineapple shooter (pictured below)
- Cherry shooters (also known as cherry bombs)
- An orange shot (pictured below)
- An apple shot (pictured below)
- Pineapple shooters (pictured below)
- Grapefruit shooters (pictured below)
- Watermelon shooters (pictured below)
Traditional Candied Fruit Shooter Recipe
This kind of Mexican candy shot is quite simple. Just combine sugar syrup with your favorite candied fruit.
You also need to add vanilla extract if you don’t want to taste any alcohol in your drink.
Then pour it into a glass and top off with ice cubes.
Garnish with whipped cream and/or maraschino cherries and serve immediately.
How Do You Serve A Mexican Candy Shot?
A typical Mexican candy shot consists of a base liquor (tequila) combined with fruit juices, grenadine, or lemonade, and topped off with crushed ice, garnished with candied cherries, and served in an oversized glass.
You may also see them served in a large tumbler instead of a standard glass.
The classic way to make this drink is to pour your favorite tequila into a tall glass filled with crushed ice.
Then add simple syrup until it reaches about half full. Next, add two ounces of fresh lime juice and shake vigorously.
After that, add 2 tablespoons grenadine and 1 ounce of cherry brandy.
Finally, top everything off with more crushed ice and finish stirring all ingredients together before serving.
This will give your guests something exciting to sip on while they party away.
Types of Mexican Candy Shots
There are several types of Mexican candy shots available, including:
- Margarita – This type of Mexican candy shot comes complete with salt and lime wedges.
- Negrita – This version is typically served in a short glass for sipping, as opposed to a traditional long glass.
- Bourbon candy shot – This variation is made with bourbon whiskey.
- Cherry bomb – This version includes cranberry juice and cherry brandy.
- Blood orange candy shot – This variation substitutes blood oranges for regular limes.
What Is The Alcohol Content In A Mexican Candy Shot?
The alcohol content in a Mexican candy shot depends on which type of liquor you use.
While some brands have an ABV (alcohol volume) that ranges between 45% and 50%, others may be closer to 40%.
Whatever the case, these shots are strong enough to get you drunk quickly.
So if you don’t want your guests feeling buzzed just after taking a sip, make sure to pick a brand that won’t leave them too much room to breathe.
If you want to give your partygoers something more refreshing, try mixing up a batch of homemade lemonade or orange juice instead.
You will need about 1 cup each of citrus juice and water to create 1 liter of beverage.
To prepare the shot, pour the mixture into a highball glass filled with ice cubes.
Then add 2 ounces (60ml) of your favorite spirit. And finally, top off the concoction with soda water.
If you want to keep things extra sweet, feel free to add another ounce of sugar syrup before serving.
A word of caution though—if you aren’t comfortable pouring spirits directly onto your guests’ tongues, consider adding a lime wedge first.
This way they can squeeze the fruit juice over the rim of the glass beforehand, then take a swig straight away.
What Are The Nutritional Facts For A Mexican Candy Shot?
Let’s take a look at the ingredients list for a Mexican candy shot recipe below.
You will find that they use both agave nectar as well as simple sugar syrup.
This gives you an idea about how sweet these shots are!
- 1 lime wedge (juice)
- ½ cup simple sugar syrup
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- 3 ounces silver tequila
- 4 ounces pineapple juice
- ½ ounce ginger beer
- ¾ ounce fresh lemon juice
The last ingredient listed is the most important one.
You have probably heard of the term “pineapple juice,” which is actually just regular pineapple juice blended with some carbonated water or sparkling mineral water.
So make sure you don’t confuse this with real pineapple juice!
Now let’s see how much each of those ingredients adds up to.
Is A Mexican Candy Shot Healthy?
The answer to that question depends on which type you choose.
If you want something sweet and refreshing, then a Mexican candy shot isn’t going to be your best bet.
However, if you’re looking for something more balanced, then these Mexican candy shots will do just fine.
- Cherry Candy Shot – This one includes cherry juice in addition to orange juice, lime juice, simple syrup, vanilla extract, and rum. You also get cinnamon sticks, nutmeg, cloves, and cardamom pods.
- Lemon Lime Candy Shot – This version uses lemon and lime juices instead of oranges. It comes with a little bit of vodka added as well.
- Spiced Apple Candy Shot – This one tastes almost like apple cider spiced with clove, allspice, cinnamon, ginger, honey, and brown sugar. It is served over ice and topped with a dash of milk.
- Mint Chocolate Chip Candy Shot – It contains mint leaves, chocolate chips, and dark rum. This one is perfect for cold winter nights.
- Strawberry Mint Candy Shot – This one combines strawberries with mint leaves, light rum, simple syrup, and cream. In fact, it is often referred to as the strawberry mint cooler.
- Watermelon Raspberry Candy Shot – This one includes watermelon, raspberries, grenadine, and vodka. It tastes just like a fruit punch!
- Tropical Fruit Candy Shot – This one contains pineapple, coconut, passion fruit, banana, and mango. It goes perfectly with tropical vacations or beach days.
- Pomegranate Passion Candy Shot – This one is made with pomegranate seeds, passion fruit pulp, and white wine vinegar. It is very fruity and tangy.
- Red Wine Spiked Watermelon Candy Shot – This one is made with red wine, watermelon, cranberry juice, fresh mint, and lemonade. It tastes like a summer breeze.
- Grapefruit Rum Candy Shot – This one features grapefruit, rum, fresh mint, and pineapple juice. It is a classic combination that works wonders together.
- Blood Orange Ginger Candy Shot – This one is made with blood orange segments, gin, ginger beer, agave nectar, and fresh mint. It is a nice way to start off the day.
- Key Lime Pie Candy Shot – This one tastes like key lime pie with a splash of rum added. It is perfect for celebrating the end of summer.
- Raspberry Lemonade Candy Shot – It contains raspberry puree, lemonade, simple syrup, and vodka. It is a good pick for those hot summer days.
What Are Some Tips For Making A Great Mexican Candy Shot?
The key ingredient in most recipes is tequila.
However, the type of tequila matters as well as how much water is added to the mix.
When I first tried making my own candy shots, I decided on using 100% agave tequilas instead of any other kind that contains additives.
Agave tequilas have an intense flavor, which means they don’t need to be diluted with water or sweeteners.
I also add fresh fruit (like oranges) and spices to give each shot its own special taste.
You can use whatever fruit you prefer, but I recommend adding cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract, and cloves to get your candy shot just right.
In addition, if you want to make your candy shot extra creamy, you should try freezing it before serving.
As soon as you pour it into glasses, let it sit outside while it melts.
This will help create a smooth texture once it’s served up.
How Do You Make A Mexican Candy Shot Even Better?
The best way to improve your Mexican candy shots is to use fresh ingredients.
The main ingredient in these shots is tequila, which means they will taste very good if the spirits are aged well. So, if you want to get the most out of them, look for bottles that have been stored properly.
You should also try to find the freshest fruit available, as the flavor will shine through more than if you used frozen or dried ingredients.
As far as spices go, cinnamon is always an excellent addition, especially if you plan on serving it as a dessert, along with whipped cream.
If you don’t care about the sweetness, you could add cardamom instead.
Either way, keep in mind that the stronger the spice, the less sweet the shot will be.
This isn’t necessarily bad, though, since strong flavors tend to pair well together.
If you aren’t sure where to start, here are some recipes to help you get started.
Ingredients
- lime juice
- tajin
- 1 ounce tequila
- 1/2 ounce watermelon schnapps
- 2 dashes hot sauce
Instructions
- The shot glass or shot glasses’ rim should first be dipped in a little lime juice.
- The next step is to dip the edge of your shot glass into a plate that has tajin on it. Place aside.
- Combine tequila, watermelon schnapps, and spicy sauce in a shaker with ice cubes. Shake vigorously for a minimum of 10 seconds.
- Fill a shot glass or small glass with the mixture. As a garnish, include a wedge of lime or watermelon.
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Nutrition
My blog is all about creating delicious meals with ingredients that are easy to find in your local grocery store. I’m passionate about making yummy meals that I can share with my friends and family.