And Now for a Little Libation

"Gummi bear? It's been in my pocket; they're real warm and soft."

Movie the above line is from? Anyone? Anyone?

In my youth (evidently a lot further back than I would care to admit - given the events of a few weekends ago, but I don't think that was just drinking), I was known to consume a jello shot or two. One night, some friends and I were at our local favorite watering hole and there were several girls mingling through the crowd offering shots directly from the bottle, with no glass - you just put your head back and let them pour it in - ah, those were the days). So a wake of nostalgia overtook me a while back when I spotted this - Vodka Gummi Bears.

Hey - it's summer time, about time for me to switch to my usual summer drink - a vodka collins. Perhaps I can make some of these for garnish.

How to Make Vodka Gummi Bears

• Vodka
• Gummi bears or worms, sugar-free or regular
• A glass container (a glass with plastic wrap over it will do - rumor has it plastic does bad things to vodka, so be sure there’s no plastic actually touching the vodka).
  

Put the bears/worms/fish into the glass dishes. Pour in vodka until it reaches the top of the candy. Using that much vodka makes the candy swell and take on a noticeable but not unpleasant “burning” alcohol sensation. If you don’t want the alcohol that strong, use less vodka. (The amount of time you let the bears soak has no impact on how alcoholic they are. They will suck up nearly every drop of vodka you put in, so the trick is to use the right amount for your taste. You can always add more if you taste them after a day or so and think they’re not alcoholic enough.)

Put the dishes in the fridge. Leave the bears soaking for a total of five days, but after three they should have absorbed about all the vodka they can. Give yourself time to leave them in at least a couple of days, if possible.

The alcohol content in each vodka gummi isn’t very high, but if you eat many of them, you’ll feel the effects. Be forewarned and plan accordingly.