Sweet pairings for grown-up Easter treats

Easter candy is dandy. But Easter candy paired with booze? Now that's something to put a spring in your step.

So we asked wine and spirits connoisseurs to come up with something the adults can sip on while the youngsters hunt for sugary splendors in the grass.

Peeps

Yes, the vividly hued marshmallow treats are a pairing challenge, but not an insurmountable one.

Daniel Cubicciotti, brand ambassador for port producers The Fladgate Partnership, suggests making a "PINK blossom," a cocktail made from mixing 3 ounces Croft PINK port and 1 ounce elderflower liqueur, then topping it with 2 ounces of a sparkling wine, such as Domaine Carneros Brut 2009. The bright berry flavors of the rose port add a spring freshness to the nostalgic sweetness of the chewy candies.

For a different take, Taryne Dixon, director of food and beverages at the Circa 59 restaurant in Palm Springs, Calif., suggests adding some bourbon to your basket with the Little Bo(urbon) Peep cocktail.

In a cocktail shaker, mix one egg white (use pasteurized if raw eggs are a concern) with 1/4 ounce Frangelico, shaking thoroughly to create a frothy mix. Add 1 1/4 ounces bourbon and 1 ounce amaretto, then top with ice, shake and strain into a martini glass. Garnish with the Peeps of your choice.

Cadbury Creme Eggs

Chocolate creme eggs come on strong with their thick milk chocolate shell and rich, gooey filling. So you want to look for a wine with some heft. Cubicciotti suggests a slightly chilled glass of Taylor Fladgate 10-year-old Tawny Porto to stand up to the richness of the candy with its rich, fruity flavors and notes of caramel.

Hollow Chocolate Eggs

Trzaska has come up with a Sriracha spiced cocktail, the hippity-hot, that she says is "oddly delicious" with those ubiquitous foil-wrapped hollow chocolate eggs (a bunny would work here, too). In a shaker, she mixes 1 1/2 ounces vodka, 1/4 ounce vanilla liqueur, 1/4 ounce lime juice, 1/4 ounce cranberry juice, a drizzle of Sriracha and a dash of simple syrup. Then she shakes and strains into a glass and garnishes with a lime wheel.