Smirnoff Preparada

If the last time you had a Smirnoff Ice was in college and you thought you’d never have another in your life, this candy shop of a cocktail is worth breaking that streak. First popularized in Texas’s drive-thru beverage stores, this fruity, over-the-top drink is a variation on a Cervesa Preparada—beer kicked up with things like chili powder and lime or hot sauce and Maggi (aka the Michelada). This take on the traditional, Mexican cocktail swaps out the beer for Smirnoff Ice, adds chamoy (a tangy Mexican sauce made from pickled fruits) and keeps the classic Tajín rim. But then the fun really starts. Like a kid in a frozen yogurt shop, you get to go crazy with toppings. Smirnoff Preparadas can be topped with every kind of chopped fruit imaginable along with gummy and/or sour candies.

The drink is endlessly adaptable and fun to put together. If you’re having people over, let them mix and match to make their own Smirnoff Preparada with bowlfuls of chopped fruit (we like watermelon, pineapple, strawberries and grapes) and candies (think anything from Haribo like Sour S’ghetti, gummy worms or the sugar-dusted Fruit Salad gummies). There are many, many flavors of Smirnoff Ice out there and any of them work in this simple, fun cocktail. That said, we find that tropical flavors like Pineapple, Mango or even the new Margarita flavor work best. Of course, the classic Smirnoff Ice Original is always an easy pick. The cocktail itself is as sweet or tangy as you make it with your add-ins, with a spicy kick thanks to the chile-powder rim.