Mexican Candy Shot, Origin, History, Tips to Make, and More

Mexican candy shot is the perfect choice for those who like fruity shots. Not just fruity, these drinks or shots are slightly spicy because of hot sauce addition, among other ingredients.

Mexican candy shots are the perfect starter for any house party you host. It’s a simple recipe you can follow and have your Mexican candy shots ready quickly.

These shots are also called Mexican lollipops or paleta shots. Taking inspiration from specific Mexican candies, this drink received a unique touch to it.

Moreover, with a mix of watermelon-flavored chunks, chamoy sauce, and chili powder, this drink becomes appropriate.

So, once you have the easy-to-follow Mexican candy shot recipe, you can spice up the next house party.

Mexican Candy Shot Recipe

Now that you know what exactly is a Mexican candy shot, here are the ingredients that you need:

Tequila

You can take Silver or Blanco tequila to prepare this.

Watermelon liqueur

You can take watermelon flavored schnapps, or watermelon juice as that works too.

Hot sauce

This ingredient adds to the spicy flavor of the shots.

You can use any hot sauce. But to keep it authentic (similar to the Mexican lollipop), you should use chamoy sauce. If not, you can go ahead with Cholula or Tapatio.

Tajin

This is used for the aesthetic appeal of the drink. It’s a mixture of Mexican spices and comes powdered in a bottle. Add it to the rim of the shot glass.

Lime

This is an optional ingredient, especially for those who don’t like very sour drinks.

If you are not a fan of sour drinks, then you can use a lime wedge for garnishing.

But if you like sour shots, go ahead and squeeze some lime to add a tangy flavor to the shots.

How to make Mexican Candy Shot

Once you have gathered all the ingredients mentioned above, it is time to begin using them. Here are some simple steps you need to follow:

Step 1

Pour some watermelon schnapps and tequila into a cocktail shaker. Add some ice cubes to it.

Step 2

Add some drops of chamoy or any other hot sauce you choose. If you want to spice up the shots, you can go beyond a few drops.

Step 3

Close the lid of the shake and shake the ingredients well. Mix the ingredients for a few minutes to ensure everything blends well.

Step 4

Take some shot glasses. Use the hot sauce to coat the rim of the shot glasses.

Step 5

Spread out some Tajin on a plate and roll the rims of the glasses over the Tajin. This will add to the look of your shots. It will also add that extra spice to remind you of Mexican lollipops every time you take a shot.

Step 6

Strain and pour the mixture from the cocktail shaker into the shot glasses and serve chilled.

Pro Tip:

If you love this flavor too much and can’t have enough of it, you can also make it a drink.

Double the ingredients’ quantity and serve the mixture in whiskey glasses with ice. And voila!

You have the perfect drink that lasts longer at the next party.

Mexican Candy Shots variants

Since these shots are most commonly made with chamoy sauce, they are usually a burst of various flavors in your mouth. However, there is no difference between the usual Mexican candy shot recipe and the Mexican candy shot recipe with chamoy.

It is a spicy and salty yet sweet drink. Of course, the spicy flavor comes from the chamoy sauce (or whichever hot sauce you use).

The Tajin added to the rim for garnishing ends up adding to the spicy flavor of the drink. Tajin, a super-spicy and tangy chili lime salt, also leaves the most prominent aftertaste of the drink or shot.

What’s fun about making this shot or drink is that once you have mastered the base recipe, you can always vary the quantity of some ingredients per your taste palette.

Many people prefer to make fun variations of the original Mexican candy shots. While watermelon juice or schnapps is the ingredient that adds to the authenticity of the drink, you can always replace it with some other juice.

For instance, many people usually switch watermelon juice with orange or litchi juice as per their preference. Also, if you are a fan of pulpy drinks, you can use blended/grinded watermelon pieces in the drinks.

You can also try the mango Mexican candy shot recipe. The only change in the recipe is that you substitute watermelon with mango. Here too, you can just use some mango chunks and blend them up to make a pulpy drink that is nutritious.

Origin of Mexican Candy Shots

It is believed that the shot originated in Mexico, probably around El Paso. It is considered a classic cocktail or shot in Mexico and was made with multiple fruit juices.

However, one thing that makes most people curious is the name of the shot.

Why Mexican candy? This is because the shot is inspired by a Mexican hard candy or lollipop called Vero Rebanaditas paletas con chile.

Paleta is the Mexican word for lollipop or popsicle. This candy uses watermelon extracts and is coated with chili powder.

Hence, we use the Tajin in the recipe as it reminds people directly of the candy.

This candy is usually available in other flavors, such as strawberry and mango. This is why the drinks are also made using different fruits depending on the preference of the ones drinking them.

History of Mexican candy shots

Another story about the history or origin of the paleta or Mexican candy shots is quite popular. This starts with the origin of the paleta, i.e., the Mexican candies. The candies were created in the 1940s in a city named Tocumbo.

The candy was created as a frozen treat by the local families that inhabited the city. The family then started selling these in the nearby markets, and soon these candies became extremely popular. In time, the demand for candies kept increasing.

To meet the multiplying demand, the family needed an additional production facility. At this point, the family moved to Paleterias, and hence the name ‘paleta’ stuck to the candy or the treat.

Candy is a favorite among the children in Mexico. Thanks to various ecommerce websites, we can all order it right at our doorstep.

Mexican candy shots ingredients

The shot can be made with very generic ingredients, some of which are available in various flavors. Now, let’s get a little deeper into some of the ingredients.

The first ingredient that comes to mind is the hot sauce. Going with any hot sauce. If there is a specific hot sauce you prefer in your Mexican food per se, that is the perfect one for your shot too.

Otherwise, other types of hot sauce can be used. For example, sriracha, picante or harissa.

You can also use Tapatio, popular among many, especially for the Mexican candy shot.

Now, coming to the main ingredient, what kind of tequila should you choose?

Here again, you should go for the kind of tequila that you usually prefer to drink.

Of course, the most common silver or white or blanco tequila is pocket-friendly.

You can also go for gold tequila. If you plan to make the drink instead of the shots, using gold tequila is better as it is much smoother on your tongue than white tequila. However, if you want to drink a few shots and party, white tequila is your go-to option.

Tips and Tricks

You can make these shots differently.

The sugared rim is usually a nice touch to the drink regarding look and flavor. Also, if you prefer eating and drinking healthy, you can eliminate the schnapps and go for juice instead.

Again in the case of schnapps too, you can use different flavored schnapps. Another interesting addition to the drink is syrup. If you like sweet drinks, you can always add the extra sugar syrup in the shaker and balance the sour and the spicy with the sweet.

Not just this, the shots can be made using different alcohol as well. If you are not a tequila fan or need to be in the mood, you can always go for different liquor. Some of your other choices of liquor for this are rum and vodka.

In fact, vodka is a great substitute for tequila.

Types of tequila for the shots

While you have the liberty to choose whichever tequila you want, the better the quality of the tequila, the better will be the taste of your drink. Some of the well-known and good-quality brands of tequila that you can use are:

Anejo Tequila

If you want to increase the number of flavors in your paleta shot, then Anejo Tequila is a good option. Since this tequila is stored in wooden barrels previously used for American whiskey, it tends to carry vanilla and brown sugar flavors. So add this, and you have a whirlpool of flavors bombarding your tongue simultaneously.

Extra Anejo Tequila

This tequila is an improvisation over Anejo. It is aged more than the former, i.e., for a minimum of three years.

It is also stored in multiple barrels before it is transferred to bottles.

Since it is stored for a long period among all varieties of tequila, it has the richest color and taste. So, this can also be a fine addition to your candy shots.

Cristalino Tequila

In this case, aged tequila (over 8-20 years old) is filtered through charcoal to make it. It’s transparent in color like blanco but is much smoother. Hence, you can use this tequila to relish smooth and balanced Mexican candy drinks.

Mezcal

If you are a fan of wine, then Mezcal can be a good tequila option to experiment with paleta shots.

You have varieties of Mezcal that taste completely smoky or vegetal or even like green peppers. So, this can be yet another remarkable addition to your shots.

Using Tobasco Instead of Chamoy

Since chamoy is a very hot sauce, the perfect equivalent alternative to it will be tobacco sauce.

You can use the commonly available red pepper flavor of tobacco sauce that we also use in our food.

If your tolerance for spices is high, you can also choose some hotter flavors.

Some of their other flavors are green jalapeno sauce and scorpion sauce.

However, if you like your drinks to be low on the spicy factor, you can also use the sweet and spicy flavor of tobacco sauce.

Final thoughts

As we know, certain types of drinks are only suited to certain specific occasions. After all, we don’t want our drinks to be misfits at our parties.

So, some occasions or parties where you can serve the shots without a doubt are night-in friend’s parties, beach parties, birthday parties and so on.

These drinks are particularly popular at bachelorette parties, especially because of their attractive color.

Another popular location for these shots would be barbeque parties, as the fiery flavor of the shots is the perfect accompaniment to the food.

Now that you have all the information on Mexican candy shots make some at your next party and enjoy!