Sour Patch Fruit Mix

Sour Patch Fruit Mix is a cocktail mixer from the Sour Patch brand, which is known for sour-then-sweet candy. The details on hand don't list the exact fruit blend, sweetness level or ABV, so check the label for those. A mixer sold under that name will most likely lean tart and candy-like rather than dry or herbal, and that should guide how you use it. Because it is a fruit-forward mixer, the simplest use is a long drink. Pour it over a full glass of ice with a neutral or lightly flavored base spirit, such as vodka, white rum or an unaged tequila. Start at roughly one part spirit to two or three parts mixer, then adjust to taste. Clear spirits let the fruit and tartness come through. Aged spirits like bourbon or dark rum would compete with the candy-style flavor. A splash of soda water or lemon-lime soda stretches a sweet mixer and lifts the carbonation. A squeeze of fresh lime brings back some acidity if the mix reads too sugary. It also works in shaken drinks and batch serves. Shake it with ice and vodka or rum, then strain into a chilled coupe for a short sour-style drink. For a group, build a pitcher over ice and add the soda at the end so it stays fizzy. Keep the mixer refrigerated and pour it cold, since chilled sweet mixers taste fresher and dilute less when poured over ice. A highball or collins glass suits long drinks over ice. A coupe or small cocktail glass suits the shaken version. Rimming the glass with sugar, or a sugar and citrus-zest mix, echoes the sour-candy theme. For food, expect it to pair best with salty snacks like popcorn, pretzels and chips, where sweet-tart fruit offsets the salt.