3 Ways to Infuse Cocktail Flavors Into Party-Time Snack Mixes

Jeff Mauro's Bloody Mary Cocktail Party Mix is displayed, as seen on Food Network's The Kitchen, Season 11.

Jeff Mauro's Bloody Mary Cocktail Party Mix is displayed, as seen on Food Network's The Kitchen, Season 11.

Photo by: Jason DeCrow ©© 2016, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Jason DeCrow, © 2016, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Jeff Mauro's Bloody Mary Cocktail Party Mix is displayed, as seen on Food Network's The Kitchen, Season 11.

Chips and dip, carrots and ranch, maybe a fruit platter — these are all fine party starters. They’re great ones, actually. But when it comes to holiday parties, sometimes we like to up the appetizer ante a bit, all while keeping it casual and easy, of course.

On the latest episode of The Kitchen, the co-hosts introduced a trio of snack mixes that are the kind of next-level recipes that will transform your seasonal spreads. Combining two party-time favorites — booze and bites — the co-hosts made three cocktail-inspired snack recipes that range from savory and salty to sweet and oh so crunchy. Read on below to find out how they turned a Bloody Mary, a White Russian and a tequila-based cocktail into eat-with-your-hands nibbles. (Spoiler: It all comes down to spiking, pouring and mixing.)

Bloody Mary Cocktail Snack Mix

The flavors you know and love in a classic Bloody Mary are well-represented in this big-batch mash-up of rice cereal, bagel chips and pretzels. Just as tomato juice and vodka form the base of the drink, this snack mix is made with tomato paste and vodka, plus a few splashes of Worcestershire sauce, which deliver the salty, deeply umami flavor you love in a Bloody Mary. Once the mixture is warmed, it’s poured over the munchies, which get microwaved for just a few minutes so the flavors can marry.

Katie Lee's Tequila and Lime Cocktail Party Mix is displayed, as seen on Food Network's The Kitchen, Season 11.

Katie Lee's Tequila and Lime Cocktail Party Mix is displayed, as seen on Food Network's The Kitchen, Season 11.

Photo by: Jason DeCrow ©© 2016, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Jason DeCrow, © 2016, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Katie Lee's Tequila and Lime Cocktail Party Mix is displayed, as seen on Food Network's The Kitchen, Season 11.

Tequila-Lime Cocktail Snack Mix

Tequila, fresh lime juice and the heat of a jalapeno combine in this quick-fix mix, just as they often do in a spicy margarita. The addition of butter helps blend those flavors together before they’re poured over tortilla chips, popcorn and corn cereal.

Sunny Anderson's White Russian Cocktail Party Mix is displayed, as seen on Food Network's The Kitchen, Season 11.

Sunny Anderson's White Russian Cocktail Party Mix is displayed, as seen on Food Network's The Kitchen, Season 11.

Photo by: Jason DeCrow ©© 2016, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Jason DeCrow, © 2016, Television Food Network, G.P. All Rights Reserved

Sunny Anderson's White Russian Cocktail Party Mix is displayed, as seen on Food Network's The Kitchen, Season 11.

White Russian Cocktail Snack Mix

There’s no denying the craveable sweetness in this sugar-dusted snack mix. Like the beloved cocktail, this snack is laced with coffee liqueur, but there’s also plenty of melted chocolate. That mixture blankets rice cereal and popcorn, which get tossed in powdered sugar for a snowlike effect.

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