Those Gummy Bears You All Have Been Waiting For

How To Turn Gummy Bears into Drunkie Bears

aka Vodka Gummy Bears

After making a successful batch of the vodka gummy bears I had many people interested in exactly what I did so they could recreate these delicious treats themselves.  I read a lot of different recipes and watched a lot of different videos of what worked and what didn’t work for other people so I took the best of the best and wound up with some excellent party snacks.

Here is exactly what I did…

Stuff You’ll Need:

1 box/case of Black Forest Gummy Bear mini-bags from Costco
3 cups vodka (the Costco equivalent of Skyy)
1 13”x9” glass baking pan/dish with matching plastic lid

Day 1

-Open 22 of the 24 packages of gummy bear mini-bags and dump all those gummy bears into the glass dish.
-Set aside 1 package of the gummy bears to compare your drunkies to the gummies later.
-Eat 1 package while opening all the other mini-bags, or in my case your husband eats it.
-Pour 1 cup of vodka evenly over the pan of gummy bears and stir them all up really good.  Make sure every bear is touching some of the vodka.
--The concoction will look quite watery.
-Put the lid on the pan and put the pan in the fridge.
-Stir the gummies again in the evening or before going to bed.

Day 2

-Stir the gummies in the morning.  Most likely all the vodka will be absorbed by the gummies.  If gummies are sticking together, gently pry them apart with your spoon.
-Pour another ½ cup vodka evenly over the gummies and stir them up real good.
-Put them back in the fridge with the lid on the pan.
-Stir the gummies again in the evening, gently separating any gummies stuck together.
-Pour another ½ vodka evenly over the gummies and stir again
-Put the pan back in the fridge with the lid on the pan.

Day 3

-Stir the gummies in the morning and you will notice the vodka is all soaked up again.  Pry any stuck together gummies apart gently with your spoon.
-If you test one at this point you will notice they are not super strong but the middle is still a little hard, so there is room for more vodka!
-Pour another  ½ cup vodka evenly over the gummies and stir them up.
-Put them back in the fridge with the lid on the pan.
-Stir the gummies in the evening and separate the stuck together gummies.

Day 4

-Stir the gummies in the morning and the evening, making sure to separate any stuck together gummies.
-You will notice by this time all the liquid is gone.  There may be a “film” or thin “slime” in the bottom of the pan and that is fine.

Day 5

-I forgot to do anything to them.

Day 6

-Stir the gummies in the morning and separate any stuck together ones. 
-Put the lid back on the pan and put them back in the fridge.
-In the evening stir the gummies and put the last ½ cup of vodka in, pouring evenly over all gummies.  By this time you will notice they have grown quite a bit from their original size.  Separate any stuck together gummies. 
-Put the lid on the pan and put them back in the fridge.
Day 7
-Stir the gummies gently, by this time they have soaked up about as much vodka as they can take.  The center of them should not be hard anymore.  Separate any stuck together.  -You should notice that the gummies have grown over 50% larger than their original size.
-If all the liquid is gone, and only that film or slime is on the bottom of the pan, they are ready to eat!  If there is still a little liquid, put them back in the fridge for a few more hours.  Otherwise, enjoy your drunkie bears!

Tips

-Use a higher quality gummy bear.  Lower quality gummy bears may not have the best ingredients to hold together.  I heard Swedish Fish do not work (they get mushy) and sour gummies make things super sticky and gooey.
-Don’t use a super cheap vodka and don’t use any over-proof liquors like 100 proofs or ever clear.  It seems your mid-line vodkas work well.  I also heard other liquors work well like flavored vodkas and rums.  The theme seems to be to stay with a mid-line liquor in that 70-80 proof range.
-Make the gummies in a glass dish.  Plastic dishes may lead to mushier gummies.  And the glass assures a true flavor.
-The gummies can be transported for short periods of time without being cooled, but any longer than an hour or so you may have mush on your hands.
-After your gummies are ready to eat, they can be frozen and are delicious too.
-Most of all – ENJOY!!!
-As always, these are an adult treat meant for only those 21 years of age and older.  Gotta get that disclaimer in there somewhere.

Bedbugs: The Unwanted Souvenir

Bedbugs are one souvenir you don't want to bring home.

The National Pest Management Association's Vice President of Public Affairs, Missy Henriksen, shares the following tips for avoiding these pests while traveling.

Check Your Room. If you don't want to let the bedbugs bite, thoroughly inspect your room for signs of infestation. Henriksen advises placing your luggage in the bathroom when you first arrive in your hotel room, because there's no place for bedbugs to hide in most bathrooms. Next, says Henriksen, "Pull back the sheets and inspect the mattress seams, particularly at the corners, for pepper-like stains or spots or even the bugs themselves. Adult bedbugs resemble a flat apple seed." Also look behind the headboard, inside chair and couch cushions, behind picture frames, and around electrical outlets. If you see anything suspicious, notify management and change rooms (or better yet, establishments) immediately.

Request A Different Room. If you do have to change rooms, don't move to a room adjacent to or directly above or below the site of the bedbug infestation. "Bedbugs can easily hitchhike via housekeeping carts and luggage or even through wall sockets," notes Henriksen. "If an infestation is spreading, it typically does so in the rooms closest to the origin."

Cover Your Bags. Even if you don't see any signs of bedbugs, you should still take precautions. Never place luggage on a hotel bed or floor. Use luggage racks if available, and place your suitcase in a protective cover. Even a plastic trash bag will suffice.

Keep Everything Off the Floor. Despite the name, bedbugs lurk in many spots, not just where you sleep. Always be vigilant when you travel. Avoid putting your personal belongings on the floor of an airplane, bus, train, or taxi. Keep your small bag or purse on your lap at all times, and seal your bigger bags inside plastic or protective covers before checking or storing them in overhead bins.

Treat Your Luggage and Clothes After Travel. "The best way to prevent bedbugs is to remain vigilant both during travel and once you return home," says Henriksen. The National Pest Management Association offers the following checklist to make sure you leave the bedbugs behind:
    •    Inspect your suitcases before bringing them into the house, and vacuum all luggage before storing it.
    •    Consider using a handheld garment steamer to steam your luggage; this can kill any bedbugs or eggs that might have hitched a ride home.
    •    Immediately wash and dry all of your clothes—even those that have not been worn—in hot temperatures to ensure that any stowaway bedbugs are not transported into your drawers or closet.
    •    Keep clothes that must be dry-cleaned in a plastic bag and take them to the dry cleaner as soon as possible.
    •    If you suspect a bedbug infestation in your home, contact a licensed pest professional promptly. Bedbugs are not a DIY pest, and the longer you wait, the larger the infestation will grow. A trained professional has the tools and knowledge to effectively treat your infestation.