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Originally posted August 26, 2019. Updated October 21, 2021 and August 22, 2022.

Relive your childhood in a grownup way with this green apple Jolly Rancher cocktail. It’s an adult spin on a favorite candy. This popular Jolly Rancher drink also makes a great St. Patrick’s Day, Christmas or Halloween cocktail.

Jolly rancher drinks and imitation drinks are quite popular with kids of all ages. Seems like the adult kids deserve a delicious drink they can enjoy, too. There is a nonalcoholic version of this recipe below for actual children.

Wouldn’t they make a fun Halloween cocktail?! The bright green color would be perfect.

Wait! They’re also perfect for St. Patrick’s Day, especially if you’re not a fan of green beer.

How about when watching your favorite sports team with green as a team color?

How about at a summer garden party?

They’d be great as a treat for the adults at a children’s party.

Jolly Rancher Cocktail

Isn’t your mouth watering just looking at this jolly rancher cocktail and thinking about that tart green apple fruity taste?

Jolly Rancher shots are popular with the adult crowd, but there are times when you’d prefer a grownup cocktail to doing shots. You can wow your guests with this easy recipe for a cocktail that blends a fun childhood candy flavor with the sophistication of a cocktail. Serve it dramatically from a cocktail shaker to add a bit of flair.

If you’re looking for a frozen Jolly Rancher drink, then you definitely want to check out this Jolly Rancher Margarita from Sequins in the South.

These Jolly Rancher cocktails would be perfect for a variety of situations:

• The nostalgic candy taste is perfect for a bright summer day.
• The bright green color is perfect for a Halloween party.
• The fun candy taste would be great as the adult beverage at a child’s celebration.
• Add a frozen cranberry or two and it could be a festive holiday cocktail.
• The distinctive color makes it ideal for a bright green color athletic team tailgate style party.

Warning – You don’t want these cocktails to be confused with a Jolly Rancher drink by children. Please be aware that while this is a festive drink for adults, it is a cocktail and only appropriate for adults. Instead you can serve one of these equally delicious non-alcoholic drinks for them:

• The Best Strawberry Lemonade Ever – This is the best strawberry lemonade ever. It’s quick and easy to make, can be prepped ahead of time and is perfect for large parties.
• Easy Pineapple Lemonade – An easy pineapple lemonade recipe that’s refreshing on a hot day. It’s a perfect afternoon treat & easy to make in big batches for a party.
• Witches’ Brew Punch – Witches’ brew punch is a fun, frothy easy-to-make Halloween drink that you can make in an adult version and also in a non-alcoholic version.

Mocktail Version

You could also make a mocktail version of the Jolly Rancher Cocktail by:

• Mixing a 2-liter bottle of Jolly Rancher Drink with sparkling water, apple juice or white grape juice
• Mixing Green Apple Jolly Rancher Drink powdered drink mix with sparkling water, apple juice or white grape juice
• You could also mix either with ginger ale or your favorite lemon lime soda, too.

How to Make a Jolly Rancher Cocktail

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Fun Variations for a Jolly Rancher Drink

• Make this Jolly Rancher cocktail in your favorite Jolly Rancher candies flavor. Hint – blue raspberry is another favorite candy flavor that works well.
• Make ice cubes from this Jolly Rancher drink and add them to your sparkling water or clear soda.
• Add a slice of fruit to the glass rim.
  • Green apple
  • Lime wheel
• Using a slushie machine is a great way to turn this recipe into frozen drinks.
• Experiment with changing the melon liquor for other options:
  • Blueberry Schnapps
  • Peach Schnapps
• Try adapting the recipe with other substitutions:
  • Cranberry juice
  • Sour mix
  • Substitute lemon-lime soda or sparkling water for some of the other ingredients to create a milder flavor.
• Serve this Jolly Rancher drink in:
  • The ingredients differ depending on whether you’re making a fruity cocktail, a Jolly Rancher shot or a Jolly Rancher flavor nonalcoholic drink. Common ingredients are:
    • Jolly Rancher hard candies
    • A bottle of vodka or infused vodka
    • Melon liqueur
    • Bottle of seltzer water
    • Bottle of clear soda
    • Fruit juice

    How long does it take for a Jolly rancher to dissolve in alcohol?

    It can take up to 12 hours for hard Jolly Rancher candies to dissolve in alcohol. You can speed the process some by mixing or shaking the mixture every couple of hours.

    What happens when you put Jolly Ranchers in Sprite?

    When you place candies in a bottle of Sprite, the candy will slowly dissolve. It can take 8 or more hours. It’s a simple way to add Jolly Rancher flavor to any clear soda. You can then use the flavored soda to make a delicious cocktail or nonalcoholic punch for party guests.

    How do you make Jolly Rancher juice?

    To make a nonalcoholic yummy drink of Jolly rancher juice, mix a juice or lemonade that will compliment your favorite flavor of Jolly Ranchers. You can dissolve the hard Jolly Rancher candies in a large glass of water to create a simple syrup. You can also mix Jolly Rancher powder with water until the powder dissolves to create a different flavor of Jolly Rancher concentrate that you can then add to juice. Choose fruity flavors of candy and juice that work well together. Some popular combinations are:

    • Cranberry juice with any red Jolly Rancher Candy
    • Pineapple juice with any tart flavored hard candy
    • Orange juice works well with any sweet candy flavor
    • Lemonade combines well with almost any flavor

    Be sure to pin for later so you can find the Green Apple Jolly Rancher cocktail recipe for your next party.

    Find all my favorite go-to easy recipes in the table below. You can scroll though the table and look for ideas or search for specific ideas with the magnifying glass in the upper right-hand corner (on desktop). Click on the topic and then click through the specific article.

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    Susan

    I’m a mom of 3, a veteran and military spouse. I’ve moved into 20+ homes all around the world. My passion is helping busy people make the space and time for what’s really important to them.