It doesn’t have to be Cinco de Mayo to throw a party with some Mexican flare. If you are inviting some people over and want to make a fun drink that all of your party guests will love…this is what you should be making.
I am about to teach you how to make one of the best shot recipes around, but with a twist. It’s fruity and sweet with a nice spicy kick. It tastes like a watermelon lollipop with a bit of spice.
The sweet and spicy flavors are a nice surprise to your taste buds.
But in this recipe I’m going to switch the tequila for vodka.
The Mexican Candy Shot is a fun recipe to play around with. You might also hear it be called the Mexican Lollipop Candy Shot or the Paleta Shot. The idea behind it is that it is supposed to taste like a Mexican hard candy lollipop.
When you taste it you’ll understand how the name of this drink came to be.
If you like spicy drinks with some sweet flavors mixed in, this is something you should try.
The Main Ingredients
Mexican Lollipop Shots with vodka are made with only a few basic ingredients. The exact amount of each ingredient is listed in the recipe card below.
Vodka
Usually the Mexican Candy Shot ingredients call for silver tequila. In this version I’m using vodka instead. You don’t need an expensive brand for this recipe. If you have a favorite vodka feel free to use it.
Watermelon Schnapps
A common ingredient for this recipe is Watermelon Pucker Schnapps. You’ll be able to find it in just about any liquor store. It really makes the shot taste like the popular Mexican candy.
Hot Sauce
The spicy part of this drink is pretty important. Use your favorite hot sauce. You can use Franks Red Hot or Tabasco Sauce. They are both easy to find.
Lime Juice
For best results, make some fresh lime juice for this drink. It only take a few seconds and is well worth it.
Garnish
A great garnish for this shot is Tajin seasoning. It’s a mix of dried chili peppers, dehydrated lime and salt.
This popular Mexican seasoning is sold in most grocery stores.
If you want something a little sweeter, you can use a sugared rim instead of the Tajin.
How to Make the Mexican Candy Shot with Vodka
Making a delicious Mexican Candy Shot with vodka is pretty easy. Just follow a few quick steps and you’ll be all set.
Take a shot glass rim and coat it with the chili lime salt or sugar. Here’s a helpful tip.
Wet the rim of your shot glasses with lime juice or simple syrup first. This will make the Tajin or sugar stick to the rim of the glass and add some extra flavor.
Start off with a cocktail shaker full of ice cubes. Add your vodka, Watermelon schnapps, lime juice and a couple dashes of hot sauce.
Shake it up really good for about 15 seconds.
Strain the contents of the shaker into the shot glass and garnish it with a lime wedge.
Once you make it there’s a good chance this will be your new favorite shot.
The Mexican Candy Shot FAQs
What if I don’t have Tajin spice?
No Tajin? No problemo. It’s not mandatory that the shot glass gets garnished with Tajin rim.
You actually don’t need a garnish at all. But if you don’t have Tajin and want to use something to add flavor to the rim, you can use chili powder, lime zest and a little salt.
It will give you a flavor that is similar to the Tajin.
What are some variations to this Mexican Candy Shot recipe with Vodka?
If you want to try out some new ways to make this shot these are some ideas.
Serve it over ice in a rocks glass, add some watermelon juice and turn it into a Mexican Candy drink.
Use mango schnapps instead of the watermelon schnapps and make it a Mango Mexican Candy Shot.
Use a habanero hot sauce if you’re someone that likes an extra kick of heat.
This is a great starting point for so many fruity shots. You can use any liqueur with sweet fruity flavors. Experiment to see which ones you like best.
Can this Mexican Candy Shot recipe be made for a crowd?
Yes. Batching this recipe is easy. Take the recipe and scale it up so you have a large Mexican Candy Shots recipe.
Your dinner party will turn into a good time real fast.
Can this be made into Jell-o shots?
Yes. Add some flavored jello to the recipe and you’ll have delicious Mexican Candy Jello Shots. You can also cut up some fresh fruits and put them in the jello shots.
Mexican Candy Shot Recipe with Vodka
Ingredients
- 1 oz vodka
- 1/2 oz watermelon pucker schnapps or other watermelon liqueur
- 1/2 oz lime juice
- 1/2 teaspoon hot sauce
- Lime wedge
- Tajin or sugar
Instructions
- Rim your shot glass with Tajin.
- Fill a large bar shaker with ice.
- Combine tequila, Watermelon schnapps, lime juice and hot sauce into the shaker.
- Shake it up really well for about 15 seconds.
- Strain mix from the shaker into a small glass that is already rimmed with Tajin or sugar.
- Garnish it with a lime wedge or watermelon candy.
- Enjoy!