Pair your leftover Halloween candy with bourbon cocktails

Now that Halloween is over and we’re already racing toward Thanksgiving and Christmas, many of us have piles of old candy lying around. And while it can be tempting to graze lazily on it for weeks — or to get fed up with the whole thing and just toss it — why not have some fun and incorporate it into a cocktail pairing?

Normally when you talk about cocktail pairings it’s in terms of selection high-quality food ingredients, carefully prepared to match or contrast with the bold flavors of a cocktail. There’s a whole trend in the restaurant world for picking just the right wine, beer, or spirit to sit next to an exquisitely created and luxurious food dish, whether it’s an appetizer, main, or dessert.

However, technically anything that you’re nibbling on while drinking a cocktail is a pairing, so why not embrace that fact and enjoy the delights of a candy – cocktail pairing evening. It is genuinely interesting to experience the way that drinks change when you have them alongside flavors which are sweet, salty, or fruity, as the candies can bring out notes in the drinks that you might not otherwise have picked up on.

To guide you in this silly but delightful experience, the bourbon brand Angel’s Envy has come up with a series of cocktail and candy pairings, using everything from peanut butter cups to lemon candies as additions to your cocktails. These drinks use Angel’s Envy Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels as their base, presented in different cocktail formations to go with the selected candies.

Plain Whiskey Cocktail Paired with Chocolate Rolls

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Angel’s Envy Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels
• 1/6 oz simple syrup
• 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters

Method:

1. Shake all ingredients with ice
2. Strain into a plain glass
3. Squeeze a lemon peel over it and then garnish with the peel
4. Enjoy alongside a Chocolate Roll

Hot Toddy Paired with Lemon Candies

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Angel’s Envy Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels
• 1 oz honey
• 1/4 oz lemon juice
• 1/4 cup of hot tea or water

Method:

1. Combine the first four ingredients into the bottom of a mug
2. Garnish with a cinnamon stick and lemon candies

Vanilla Cream Punch Paired with Mini–Chocolate Candy Bar

Ingredients:

• 1¾ oz Angel’s Envy Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels
• 3½ oz whole milk
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 2 droppers Bitter Tears Lolita Bitters

Method:

1. Dry shake all ingredients hard
2. Pour into a double old-fashioned glass with shaved ice
3. Shave fresh nutmeg on top
4. Enjoy with a Mini-Chocolate Candy Bar

Manhattan Paired with Peanut Butter Crisp Candy Bars

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Angel’s Envy Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels
• ½ oz sweet Vermouth
• 2 to 3 dashes of Angostura bitters

Method:

1. Pour all ingredients into a mixing glass filled with ice cubes and stir well
2. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass
3. Garnish with a cherry
4. Enjoy with Peanut Butter Crisp Candy Bars

Neat Angel’s Envy Paired with Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup

Ingredients:

• 2 oz Angel’s Envy Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels

Method:

1. Pour ANGEL’S ENVY Bourbon Finished in Port Wine Barrels into a Glencairn
2. Enjoy alongside a Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup