Champagne Gummy Bears

Champagne gummy bears make for a sparkling and whimsical way to celebrate anything. Enjoy them for New Years, bachelorette parties, birthday parties or anytime you want some bubbly fun on the menu!

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If you had told me back when I made alcoholic gummy bears for my friend’s bachelorette party back in 2014 and shared the recipe on my blog, that this recipe would become my #1 post, I wouldn’t have believed you.

It makes me giggle, because back then I didn’t take great photos. I didn’t know much about search engine optimization or how to have a printable recipe card on my post.

It also felt like such a simple recipe — you just soak the gummy bears in your favorite booze.

I’ve made them again and again over the years, trying different types of drunken gummy bears and different types of booze, and I realize why people are googling this fun treat. There’s a little more to it.

But they are totally fun. Alcoholic gummy bears are bright, colorful… and a little bit slimy.

They’re hard to get wrong (again, it is SUCH an easy recipe) but there are ways to make them even better.

So let’s get started.

What kind of alcohol is used for alcoholic gummy bears?

You can soak them in just about anything.

Try vodka gummy bears and rum gummy bears. Bourbon gummy bears even! I even made rosé gummy bears this summer.

For this recipe, I’m using champagne. Well, sparkling wine — because not all sparkling wine comes from the champagne region of France, thus it can’t all be called champagne.

What kind of champagne is used for champagne gummy bears?

Gummy bears are sweet AF.

If you like sweet, that is great! You can use a sweet sparkling wine and you’ll be just fine. Look for demi-sec or doux on the label.

If you are like me and prefer your boozy candy to be, well, a little less cloying, I recommend going for something dryer.

Look for brut or dry on the label. Extra brut will work. The sweetness of gummy candy will balance out with a dryer sparkling wine.

As for the type of champagne, you have options here too.

Let’s remember that champagne is just one type of sparkling wine. It’s usually more expensive because it must come from the champagne region of France.

You can go for spumante, asti, cava… Any kind of sparkling wine will work. If you need help, check out this guide to choosing a sparkling wine.

How much champagne do I need for champagne gummy bears?

Honestly, this depends on how many gummy bears you are making.

What you will do is pour the booze on the bears and stop pouring when they are covered by the alcohol. Let’s not waste any of that!

I usually use a glass bowl or a shallow dish like a glass brownie pan.

I recommend glass because alcohol can break down plastic, and these are going to sit for a few hours.

So how much do you need? If you have 2 cups of gummy bears, you will probably need about as much champagne. Maybe a little less.

What flavor of gummy bears should I use?

You can get the multi color, multi flavor bag if you want, but I think for champagne gummy bears, you should go a little classier.

I went with grapefruit and strawberry, which made for a fun look, especially dropped into a glass of champagne!

How long does it take to make champagne gummy bears?

This is up to you too, but I have found the sweet spot to be around 6 to 8 hours.

After an hour or two, they will still be more chewy, close to their original form. They will not have soaked up as much alcohol.

After four hours, they will be softer and boozier, but not quite the right consistency yet.

Around the six hour mark, they’ll be close to ready, but I like them to sit a little longer. 

And once they are ready, you will strain out the alcohol. I recommend a fine-mesh strainer like this. You can save the booze if you like! Just strain it into a glass or jar. (Champagne may have lost its fizz, however.)

If you let them sit longer, they will begin to get mushy and soupy and stick together. They will be lots boozier, but the sugars will begin to dissolve and break down, so they’ll become stickier and messier to eat. (But still fun! You just might need a spoon to eat them.)

I suggest you try one or two bears before you start, and a few times throughout the rest process as well.

Your champagne gummy bears will be ready when they are soft and not as chewy as they were to start with, and when you get a good hint of the booze flavor.

Go with your gut, you got this.

How do you serve champagne gummy bears?

For a party, I would place them in a glass bowl and then let guests use a spoon or toothpicks to get them out.

For a poolside treat, I am not above stashing them in a reusable container.

You can pop a couple bears into glasses of champagne, too. Those little guys will have so much fun floating up and down on the bubbles!

These would also be so fun alongside Champagne Jell-O Shots! Perfect for New Year’s Eve. 

Cheers, y’all! I’m here if you have any questions — shoot me an email or leave a comment below! //susannah