You Only Need 3 Ingredients For A Boozy Jolly Rancher-Flavored Drink

Here at Tasting Table, we're all about grown ups enjoying childhood favorite treats. If you're craving a Jolly Rancher-flavored sipper (that isn't the Pastéque La Croix), look no further than this understated trio: apple vodka, peach schnapps, and cranberry juice.

The cranberry here cuts the sweetness, steering the profile of this sipper away from becoming too adolescent, or too '80s cocktail culture with its neon tones and syrupy flavors (as if). The magenta-hued candy-inspired cocktail is a balance of sweet, fruity, and slightly tart — and it tastes like there must be a melted Jolly Rancher swimming in the glass. In some ways the Jolly Rancher cocktail could even be considered a zhuzhed-up version of the classic Cape Codder (aka a bulletproof vodka-cran highball).

To assemble, combine equal parts peach schnapps and apple vodka in an ice-filled highball glass, stirring to combine using a long-handled bar spoon. Fill with cranberry juice until the glass is full and stir once more. For a fizzy mouthfeel, you could reduce the amount of cranberry juice and top your Jolly Rancher cocktail with a splash of soda water or ginger ale. Alternatively, for a fancier presentation, shake the trio of ingredients with ice, then strain into a chilled martini glass to serve. Garnish with a lemon twist, orange wheel, or thinly-sliced green apple perched on the rim. Or, for a playful finishing touch, float a Jolly Rancher candy on the surface of the drink.

Thanks to the lower-proof apple vodka at 35% ABV, the Jolly Rancher cocktail clocks in at a super accessible 9% ABV, the same strength as many bottled IPAs and imperial hard ciders. This quick mixed drink makes a great happy hour sipper or tame, dessert-like way to end a night out. On the flip side, the Jolly Rancher cocktail could also be translated into a shot. Simply combine equal parts of the ingrdients trio, shake with ice, then strain into shot glasses to rip.

If green tea or white tea shots have a place in your home bar repertoire, then you'll already have peach schnapps stocked in the bar cart. Apple-flavored vodka, however, is less of a staple ingredient. Smirnoff Green Apple Vodka is easily the most affordable (under $20) and widely-available apple vodka on the market, triple-distilled and infused with natural green apple flavor. Some Target locations even carry it. Aesthetic-minded mixologists might prefer a clear offering to let the Jolly Rancher cocktail's vivid magenta hue shine, in which case Cîroc Apple Vodka would make a better fit. This French brand is distilled five times for a bright, crisp green apple taste. You can use your leftover apple vodka for a myriad of seasonal recipes this fall, like appletinis, hot toddies, or class vodka sodas with an apple-y upgrade (garnish with a cinnamon stick for a fun, flavorful touch).