Flavored vodkas are very popular right now, but did you know it’s also very simple to make your own? If you buy a large bottle of vodka and make your own, this can be a cost savings over buying individual flavors.
I’ve previously shared how to make Blackberry Infused Vodka and Coffee Liqueur, and today I have a fun idea to add to the mix (all puns intended) – Skittles Infused Vodka! I made these over the weekend for our Super Bowl party and they were a big hit! These would also be a creative way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day.
I’d like to give a nice shout out to Mix that Drink for today’s inspiration. Make sure to check out their site for additional fun drink ideas!
Here’s what you’ll need:
1 lb bag of Skittles – any flavor OR 8 individual-sized Skittle bags
1 1.75 liter vodka (I chose a cheap $10 bottle)
one flask with lid per color (mason jars should work well, too!)
small funnel
small containers, for sorting
a bit of patience!
Now I decided to go with some special bottles for my project, but as noted above, I imagine pint-sized mason jars would work just fine for this project if you already have some on hand. You will need a good fitting lid.
The ones I decided to use were these glass bottles with stoppers from World Market for $5.99 each. The beauty of these is you can reuse them again and again for other projects. I found them at my Tacoma store, but they are also available online for the same price. (Plus, you could use coupon code PVTSALE to save 15% on your order and then opt for in-store pickup for an even better deal than I got!)
First, you’re going to want to sort your Skittles by color. This will give each vodka its own unique flavor and prevent a brown-colored infusion! Now, the original Skittles come in red, orange, yellow, green, and purple, but I really wanted a blue color as well, so I purchased a Wild Berry bag in addition to the original flavor to get the blue. Heads up if you want blue!
For each flask, I measured out 1/3 cup of Skittles. If you check other recipes, they may give you different ratios. I did what I thought would work best for the 8.5 oz bottle size I used and I will tell you the flavor came out excellent. All this to say, there isn’t necessarily a “wrong” or “right” here.
Put your Skittles in the bottom of the bottle. Again, one color per bottle or flask.
Next, using a funnel (if necessary), pour the vodka over the Skittles. I ended up pouring a little more than 1 cup’s worth of vodka per bottle. (So that’s 1 part Skittles to 3 parts vodka, in case you’re wondering about the ratio.)
Almost immediately, you’ll see the color come off the Skittles and work its way into the Vodka. Isn’t that pretty?
Here’s how the bottles looked a few minutes later, plus a good shake! Next, let the bottles sit for several hours. The Skittles will entirely dissolve into the liquid! To help this process along, every couple hours or so, I gave them a good shaking.
Once your Skittles are all dissolved, you’ll end up with a thick “muck” of white sugary stuff at the top of each bottle. This isn’t so appetizing, so we’re going to deal with it by straining.
I’m going to be honest with you. This was the least enjoyable part of the entire process for me. And I tried a few different methods before I figured out which I liked the best. A regular strainer (such as above) is far too big to do the job properly. If you own a fine mesh strainer, you could go that route first.
I had a lot more success with this route: putting a coffee filter in the top of a funnel and pouring the vodka down in small batches. Sometimes I helped the process along by closing and pressing the filter, much as you would a tea bag.
Perhaps the simplest way to strain, especially if you don’t have coffee filters or a strainer, is to simply pour the vodka into a shallow bowl and wait a couple minutes. When the white stuff surfaces, just skim it off – much as you would skim fat off the top of broth.
While I was straining the vodka, I made sure to really rinse out the bottles as a lot of the sugary stuff had coated the insides and the lid.
Here are my strained vodkas, chilling in the freezer before the big game! As you can tell, they aren’t 100% perfect (there’s a little bit of white stuff on top), but I wasn’t too worried about it. Just give them a nice good shake before serving. I chilled mine a few hours, but overnight would be ideal.
The finished product! These were definitely a hit with my friends and we had such fun sampling each flavor. I really dig the red and green (which tastes like sour apple). My husband preferred the lemon. They are also fun to mix a bit!
A very simple and yummy way to enjoy these is over ice with some Sprite! The green one I’m calling Beast A La Mode, in honor of the Seahawks win. It’s green Skittles vodka, Sprite, and a splash of half and half. Delicious!
I think the ratio of this recipe was perfect. You could definitely get the essence of Skittles in the final drink.
If you try this, I’d love to hear what you think!
PS if you liked this recipe, you might also want to check out:
Homemade Coffee Liqueur
Homemade Blackberry Liqueur
Disclosure: This recipe is intended for readers aged 21 and over. Remember to enjoy responsibly!