Sharing is caring!

Red Hots infused tequila makes this Red Hot Rita sweet and sour with a spicy kick.

 

I have this thing about infusing liquor with other flavors.

 

It started many moons. I don’t know why, but I was just curious what would happen if I dumped the candy corn into the tea cordial my friend made me. And that’s how this whole obsession started.

 

One would think that I’d have more recipes for this type of concoction on my blog, but I really don’t. And there’s one main reason why that is. I don’t want to have 80 jars of infused liquor in my pantry. It’s bad enough that now I have three. And trust me when I say those will resurface when I figure out unique and interesting ways to use them up.

 

 

With all the infused liquor flavors out there, I was intrigued by the bourbon ones. The honey bourbon was off the charts irresistible. Which lead me to think of the mincemeat Manhattan. And even better when I found the dehydrated mincemeat! I mean, what luck is that to find a mincemeat you have to re-hydrate…with bourbon! That Manhattan is still one of my faves.

 

Then with the popularity of all the moonshine out there and its delicious flavors, I thought, “Why not stick some candy corn in there and see how it goes?” So, I did. I still can’t get over the color of that moonshine! It’s almost fluorescent orange. And looks perfect in my candy corn moonshine martini.

 

 

Of course, that wasn’t the first thing I made with the candy corn moonshine. I initially used them to make some delicious candy corn moonshine truffles. And they WERE so delicious! That candy corn flavored moonshine in that silky chocolate center makes for a pleasant surprise. I mean, you can’t actually tell me if you saw those on a plate and didn’t know that you’d expect candy corn flavored anything.

 

Now, the Red Hots are a different story.

 

I actually used the Red Hots make some mango pickles. Yes, it sounds weird, but they taste delicious. Stick with me on this one.

 

 

So, the challenge was to create a burger that had pork, mango, avocado, and Red Hots. Yes. Red Hots. Of all things to put into a burger. I don’t even remember how people used the Red Hots in their burger for that month. But for me, I wanted to turn them into a brine for a pickle.

 

Now, I’m not far fetched on this idea, because there’s cinnamon apples out there. You know, those red tinted apples that are sweet and cinnamon-y all at the same time? I see them at church dinners and potlucks most of the time.

 

 

So, it wasn’t all that out there to make some mango pickles in the same fashion. And those pickles went onto pork taco burgers with red hot pickled mangoes. And they were delicious!

 

I have a history with Red Hots. I missed that month’s burger challenge because I couldn’t find them in the stores. Any store. And it was Valentine’s Day so one would think they would be out there with the rest of the holiday candy. Nope. And this time around, I ordered some with my groceries. Nope. Out of stock.

 

Are you kidding me?

 

 

Then I remembered, I didn’t throw out the rest of the Red Hots from the pickles. I knew they were in the pantry somewhere. I just had to find them. And, obviously, I did because I used some of them to make this tequila. Which is delicious on its own, by the way.

 

I took one cup of the tequila and half a cup of the Red Hots and that was the perfect ratio. The Red Hots totally dissolved into the tequila. It’s not overly sweet and it still has the tequila kick you’d expect. It turned out better than I had hoped.

 

And the color is just off the charts!

 

 

Yes, I know the drink is out of focus here, but I liked the Red Hots box being highlighted. No, this isn’t a sponsored post for Red Hots. They’re just super delicious and one of my favorite hard candies. That sweet and spicy with cinnamon flavor is yummy!

 

And that’s what you’re going to get with this red hot rita! Sweet and spicy with a cinnamon kick and that traditional sweet sour of a margarita with the pomegranate juice. I toyed with citrus, but it just didn’t seem like a great combo to me. Definitely not lime juice! I didn’t want to go too sweet with like strawberry or cherry juice. However, tart cherry might be okay? I’ll have to try that one later.

 

 

And since I was going citrus I thought the cinnamon and vanilla would be a great pairing with some vanilla vodka. And with all that sweetness in the tequila, I skipped the simple syrup. I didn’t think it needed more sweet in there. Which is also why I thought pomegranate juice would be a good fit, too. It’s not too sweet and would be a great blend with the cinnamon and vanilla. And I was right! This red hot rita is so delicious! You’re going to be pleasantly surprised.

 

And then there’s the glasses.

 

Those glasses are killer and make any drink just look too cool! The red and black contrast is just awesome in colored drinks. I think they’re me favorite go to glasses for cocktails. I have these and some martini glasses which I used for my tamarillo tini. Which is also delicious, by the way.

• Be My Valentine Margarita by A Day in the Life on the Farm
• Cucumber Margarita by Karen’s Kitchen Stories
• Fireball Margarita by Our Crafty Mom
• Margarita Cupcakes by Hezzi-D’s Books and Cooks
• Prickly Pear Margarita by Our Good Life
• Red Hot Rita by A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures
• Shy Violet Margarita by Palatable Pastime