Don't Throw Out Stale Jelly Beans. Make A Fruity Martini Instead

Jelly beans are a beloved treat that many people enjoy. They come in a variety of delicious flavors and are commonly bought and distributed around Easter. However, the candy sometimes goes stale, meaning that while it's still safe to eat, it may become hard to chew and generally unpleasant. Once this happens, though, you don't have to just throw the jelly beans out and call it a day. Instead, you can use them to make a jelly bean martini.

A jelly bean martini is simple enough to make. First, you'll create your own jelly bean-flavored vodka. Simply soak jelly beans in a sealed container of vodka; the minimum time is one hour, but the longer you soak them, the stronger the flavor. For an even sweeter flavor, use cotton candy-flavored vodka as the base. Strain this, then put it in a cocktail shaker with ice and your favorite orange liqueur. After shaking vigorously, pour it into a sugar-rimmed martini glass and garnish with extra jelly beans. You can then serve your sugary cocktail; it would be perfect for an Easter party or just a get-together with some friends who have a sweet tooth.

While you can make a jelly bean martini with any kind of jelly beans, some people suggest using Jelly Belly brand for a few reasons. For one, many fruit-flavored Jelly Belly beans contain actual fruit juice; for instance, the Very Cherry flavor lists cherry juice from concentrate in its ingredients. While it does still contain artificial flavoring as well, the real fruit juice can help your jelly bean vodka taste less artificial when infused. In addition, Jelly Belly is known for selling a multitude of uniquely-flavored candy, and even includes recipes for delicious bean flavor combinations on its site. This means that you can customize your martini to have a more unique flavor, whether it be fruity, minty, chocolatey, or anything else.

When it comes to the liquor, it's all up to personal taste. There are lots of popular vodka brands that would work well here, with perhaps the most well-known being Smirnoff. While it isn't the most sippable vodka on its own, it comes in lots of styles and would be a great budget choice for infusing with jelly beans; after all, most people probably don't want to change the taste of a more premium vodka with candy. For a smoother choice, consider Tito's, which is versatile and gluten-free. The orange liqueur is the same; while the most common ones are Cointreau and Grand Mariner, there are lots of other wonderful orange liqueurs, such as Gran Gala and Picon.