Jumping on the Cotton Candy Craze

I spent the better party of Fall 2010 searching for Pinnacle Cotton Candy in liquor stores. But while my friends back in RI seemed to have no trouble finding it, Pinnacle Whipped was the only new flavor available at the Walgreens/Walmart liquor stores by my apartment in Lake Buena Vista. I finally came across the Cotton Candy flavored vodka this past January at Mc K’s Tavern in Daytona. I was obviously extremely excited, but when I asked the bartender what I should mix it with, his response was “I don’t know, whatever you want.” Now it was an Irish pub, so I’ll give the guy a break, and this answer was actually extremely liberating, giving me maximum freedom to experiment with my own creations.

Cotton Candy vodka is delicious - sweet, but not cloying - and smells exactly the way cotton candy should smell. (I used to wish I could capture the flavor of Jelly Belly's Cotton Candy jellybean in a cocktail - now I can!) The flavor is also a great staple for carnival or Candy Land themed cocktail parties.

If you ever find yourself at a bar wondering what to mix with Pinnacle Cotton Candy, here are a few of my favorite recipes.

Sweet Trip to the Candy Shop
This cocktail is inspired by Shirley Temple, both the drink and the child star. (It’s named after her trademark song “On the Good Ship Lollipop”.)

1 ½ oz Pinnacle Cotton Candy
4 oz Ginger Ale
Dash of Grenadine

Build ingredients in a highball glass over ice. Garnish with a cherry.

Pink Floyd
Inspired by my favorite Jelly Belly flavor combination, and named after my former roommate and cotton candy making extraordinaire, Leslie Floyd.

1 ½ oz Pinnacle Cotton Candy
4 oz Pink Lemonade

Build ingredients in a highball glass over ice. Serve with a side of cotton candy and lemon flavored Jelly Belly jellybeans.

Lollipop Princess

1 ½ oz Pinnacle Cotton Candy
Splash of Grape Juice
Splash of Sour Mix

Shake ingredients with ice and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a stick of rock candy (preferably purple or yellow).

Cotton Candy Cosmo
Blue cosmos are one of my go-to drinks (see my Blue Hawaiian Cosmo with Three O Mango). I used Sprite instead of lime juice to make this drink a little more bubbly and fun.

1 ½ oz Pinnacle Cotton Candy
¾ oz Blue Curacao
1 ½ oz White Cranberry Juice
Splash of Sprite

Shake vodka, blue curacao, and cranberry juice in a shaker with ice. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Top of with Sprite and garnish with a cherry.

Candy Land Kamikaze

1 ½ oz Pinnacle Cotton Candy
¾ oz Triple Sec
½ oz Rose’s lime juice
1 strawberry

Slice up and muddle strawberry in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add ice, vodka, triple sec, and lime juice. Shake and strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with a piece of strawberry Twizzler.

Circus McGurkus

1 ½ oz Pinnacle Cotton Candy
2 oz Coco Lopez Cream of Coconut
2 oz Pineapple Juice
1 oz Chambord
1 cup crushed ice

Pour ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into a Collins glass and garnish with a piece of pineapple and a cherry.