These Easy DIY Cocktail Candles Are the Perfect Holiday Gift

If you’ve been searching for a professional-looking DIY to take care of your holiday gifts this season, DIY cocktail candles might be the perfect option.

Scented cocktail candles aren’t just adorable—they’re also easy to make and customizable. From a classic lemon drop to the viral espresso martini, you can immortalize your favorite cocktail in candle form to enjoy year-round.

To get started, you’ll just need a cocktail glass (not a plastic one) and melted wax to fill the glass. Melting wax in the color or colors of your choice is the best way to go for beginner candle makers; you can find flakes, beads, and blocks of wax that are ready to use.

You can also pick up a wax dye kit to mix with white wax if you’re looking to make cocktail candles of varying colors. Just be sure the dyes and scents you grab are safe to burn. Food dye, for example, isn’t a candle-safe choice.

While the wax is melting, finish setting up your cocktail glasses by adding a long wick into each glass. To center your wick and keep it from floating around inside the glass, you can use glue tabs or hot glue to secure the wick to the bottom of the glass.

Once the wax is warmed up and ready to use, you can pour it directly into the cocktail glasses. Wait for it to cool and set completely before moving it. 

The creator of this gift idea, Instagram user @shackscentscandles, uses a gorgeous glitter mix to create a candle version of the beloved espresso martini. This top layer adds a little extra depth (and sparkle) to the drink, and also helps set her decorative wax coffee beans in place.

For the candle accents, you have a few options. If you’re looking for the easiest DIY candle, your best bet is to decorate your cocktail candle with what you have