The Mexican candy drink is a cocktail drink that has been around for a while now, a very long while. No one knows exactly how this drink started and I’m not willing to credit this drink as being one of the many cocktails that started off in an American college.
And that’s only because the odds are more in favor that it started with the Mexicans. They have the candy that the drink is named after, and the drink is way more common over in Mexico and near Mexican borders than it is in America—but not for long. This cocktail has the potential of being well-known sooner or later.
This drink has been around for about 10 years or more now, and it’s still driving the cocktail market. When a cocktail has survived this long, there’s just one thing that we can conclude, which is that it’s good and the people love it. If it wasn’t good and if it wasn’t loved, then it would have left the cocktail world a long time ago.
Though the drink has been around for a while now, not everyone has heard of it and that’s just sad. Well, the good thing is, you are no longer in that category.
After hearing about this drink, what’s the next thing you should do?
Take a shot of the Mexican candy cocktail. But before you get on to the recipe that’s down below (the recipe is going to take a while to reach), let’s get to know this drink just a little bit more.
The Mexican Paleta Shot
Simple. It is a Mexican candy drink and just because it has the word shot at the end of its name doesn’t mean you necessarily have to take just one shot of this drink or that it must be taken from a shot glass.
A shot glass is roughly equivalent to 44 millimeters, or 1.5 ounces. And unless you are ordering this drink at a bar or anywhere else where they serve it, I don’t see how and why you’d make only 44 millimeters of this or any drink.
Enough with the shot lesson.
If you are planning to have a party at your home, you can serve this at your party and your guests will love it. There are so many versions of this drink, and really, it is quite exhausting to find the right recipe.
There’s no standard ingredients list for this candy drink, but there are a few basic ingredients that every version has, and if the version you drank at that party you already crowned the best party of the year did not have these basic ingredients, then what you drank is definitely not the Mexican candy drink.
The 3 basic ingredients are fresh juices or a pucker, hot sauce, and an alcoholic drink. Most of the time, tequila is the preferred alcoholic drink to use, but rum is also used very frequently. Vodka can also be used as the alcohol.
The Mexican candy that the drink is named after is known as paleta.
Though named after paletas, the candy is rarely ever used in the actual making of the drink. Paletas are delicious frozen candy treats that are particularly enjoyed by children in Mexico. Just imagine how happy those kids must be when they grow up and realize that they can still enjoy the taste of their favorite candy in a cocktail drink.
Paletas can be light and fruity or even creamy with a hint of spice. The drink is often made with ingredients that will mimic the taste of the watermelon Mexican candy that’s covered in Chile powder.
Most recipes call for watermelon pucker, some call for the watermelon fruit itself (though in a blended form), while others ditch the watermelon flavor altogether and call for fruit juices like mango juice, strawberry juice, or lime juice. However, the Mexican candy alcoholic drink made from these fruit juices still mimics the spicy touch of the Mexican candy by using hot sauce like Tabasco.
So back to our original question—what is a Mexican candy shot? Answer: a Mexican candy shot is a cocktail drink that’s made to mimic the watermelon Mexican candy.
No matter how you make your Mexican candy alcoholic drink, it deserves to be spicy, fruity, utterly amazing, and able to bring to memory the taste of the candy itself.
And Now, The Mexican Candy Shot Recipe
With so many awesome recipes out there, picking just one was really not so easy. It might be one of the most difficult things I’ve had to do in recent times. The Mexican candy shot ingredients can be tweaked and adjusted to taste.
Ingredients:
Mexican Candy Shot
Ingredients
- 1 ounce Tequila (Juarez Tequila Gold, Silver Tequila or your favorite brand of Tequila can be used.)
- 1 ounce Strawberry juice ((fresh juice, if possible).)
- 1/2 ounce Mango juice ((fresh juice, if possible).)
- Lime juice ((must be fresh lime juice).)
- Few dashes Tabasco (or your favorite hot sauce.)
- 1 pinch Salt
- Tajin ((chile-lime salt).)
- Watermelon, deseeded, chopped and then blended ((very optional).)
Instructions
- The first step is to rim the edge of your chilled shot glasses with Tajin. To do this, pour the sauce on to a flat plate and press the rim of your chilled shot glass with medium pressure (not too hard) into the Tajin. You can add a pinch of salt to the Tajin to make a good mixture.
- Once done with your Tajin-rimmed shot glasses, filter your blended watermelon to get the watermelon juice.
- Then, add the tequila, mango juice, watermelon juice, strawberry juice, lime juice, Tabasco, and salt into a cocktail shaker.
- Shake the mixture with some ice to chill.
- Then, strain the liquid on to your Tajin-rimmed shot glasses.
- Serve and enjoy!
Directions:
The first step is to rim the edge of your chilled shot glasses with Tajin. To do this, pour the sauce on to a flat plate and press the rim of your chilled shot glass with medium pressure (not too hard) into the Tajin. You can add a pinch of salt to the Tajin to make a good mixture.- Once done with your Tajin-rimmed shot glasses, filter your blended watermelon to get the watermelon juice.
- Then, add the tequila, mango juice, watermelon juice, strawberry juice, lime juice, Tabasco, and salt into a cocktail shaker.
- Shake the mixture with some ice to chill.
- Then, strain the liquid on to your Tajin-rimmed shot glasses.
- Serve and enjoy!
Notes:
- The use of fresh juice is to prevent a sugary hangover, just in case you happen to take way more than you should have.
- You can totally skip the watermelon. I only added it because I really, really love watermelons, but you do you.
- You can use watermelon pucker instead of the fruit juices. For the recipe above, just substitute the fruit juices and watermelon with 2 ounces of watermelon pucker. Puckers are 15 percent alcohol by volume so be careful how much you consume.
- If you don’t want to use watermelon pucker, you can use watermelon schnapps instead.
- Oh, don’t forget that your tequila can be substituted with either rum or vodka. If you’re going with vodka, using watermelon pucker and apple pucker will come in handy and be very enjoyable.
You don’t like Tajin? Okay, no problem. Tajin is not the only thing you can use to line the rim of your shot glass—use Trechas instead to make your Trechas-rimmed shot glass.
This drink is originally meant to be spicy, so leaving out the hot sauce is not an option. But then again, no one is going to come for your head if you do.
Mexican Candy Shot With Chamoy
Chamoy is from Mexico and is both a sauce and condiment. It is used frequently in Mexican cuisine and is made from pickled fruit. Chamoy refers to a variety of condiments and savory sauces in Mexican cuisine made from pickled fruit. Chamoy may range from a liquid to a paste consistency, and typically its flavor is salty, sweet, sour, and spiced with chilis.
So I’ve taken this concept and turned it into a deliciously spicy watermelon popsicle. This watermelon paleta shot is a combination of sweet watermelon, lime juice, tequila, and chili powder. So good it makes my mouth water!
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: Mexican
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Servings: 10 paletas
99 kcal
Ingredients:
- 4 cups Diced watermelon, seedless
- ½ cup Tequila, (Corralejo reposado)
- 3 tbsp. Lime juice, fresh
½ cup Sugar or sweetener of your choice- 10 tsp. Tajin chile powder
- US Customary – Metric
Directions:
- Pour the watermelon, tequila, lime juice, and sugar in the blender and process until smooth.
- Place 1 tsp. of chili powder at the bottom of each popsicle mold.
- Pour the watermelon mixture into the molds, snap on the lids, insert popsicle sticks, and freeze overnight.
Notes:
If tequila isn’t really your thing or you want these to be less alcoholic, use only 1/3 of a cup of tequila. I used my favorite Corralejo Tequila, but you can use any tequila you want. We prefer Tajin chili powder for these. If your watermelon is super sweet, you can reduce the amount of sugar.
There you have it! The Mexican Candy Shot in all its glory. Try it out and leave a comment with your experience.
