Take a bite out of these party drinks
When I was in college, Jell-o shots were always a big hit. I
can’t remember who first suggested the idea and I know I never used
a recipe, but somehow I became the person with the perfect formula.
The key to making a good Jell-o shot was always to use high-quality
vodka instead of the cheapest thing on the shelf and to pick
flavors that wouldn’t pair poorly with it. I favored watermelon and
berry blue gelatin since cherry and grape ended up tasting a little
too much like cough syrup for me.
Take a bite out of these party drinks
When I was in college, Jell-o shots were always a big hit. I can’t remember who first suggested the idea and I know I never used a recipe, but somehow I became the person with the perfect formula. The key to making a good Jell-o shot was always to use high-quality vodka instead of the cheapest thing on the shelf and to pick flavors that wouldn’t pair poorly with it. I favored watermelon and berry blue gelatin since cherry and grape ended up tasting a little too much like cough syrup for me.
I remember the concoctions being rare off campus when I was in college a decade ago, but they seem to be gaining in popularity. Applebee’s sells them for a dollar during their late-night happy hour and I’ve been to a few parties this summer where people brought them along. So a couple weeks ago when I was invited to a going-away party, my cousins asked if I would make them.
I didn’t want to make them like I did back in college, however. I did some web searches and found that through a combination of gelatin flavors mixed with various liquids, I could make them taste reminiscent of many different drinks.
When I spotted a recipe for pineapple mojito gelatin shots, I knew I had to try them. Mojitos are my favorite drink. I did have to alter the recipe below a bit because I couldn’t find a box of pineapple Jell-o. Instead I went with a tropical flavor that according to the picture on the box combined pineapple, orange and cherry. I didn’t mix in the lime gelatin because I thought it might combine to an unpalatable brown color. It still had a slight lime flavor from the fresh-squeezed juice. The recipe uses less liquid than a typical gelatin mix so the shots came out almost the texture of gummie bears, as a friend described it. The alcohol content is also low so these shots were almost like an after-dinner treat.
I also wanted to try the gin and tonic jellies, but I didn’t have a bottle of gin at home. I ended up making four different flavored shots. The most popular two were fuzzy navel and rum and Coke. The rum and Coke shots had a little too much alcohol for my taste so I would suggest cutting a couple ounces out and just replacing it with more cold cola, except for those who like strong drinks.
The gelatin shots were pretty easy to make and I would definitely make them again for casual get-togethers.
Pineapple mojito gelatin shots
Recipe courtesy of Ingrid Hoffmann
12 fresh mint leaves
3 tbsp. fresh-squeezed lime juice
3 tbsp. pineapple juice
1 box (3-ounce) lime gelatin
1 box (3-ounce) pineapple gelatin
1 tsp. sugar
1 c. boiling water
¼ c. light rum
10-12 small plastic cups or shot glasses
Bruise the mint leaves in the bottom of a cocktail shaker. Add the lime juice and pineapple juice. Shake the two together. In a medium bowl combine the lime and pineapple gelatins with the sugar. Stir in the boiling water and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the rum and pour into the plastic shot glasses.
Refrigerate until set, about three hours.
Gin and tonic jellies
From the Foodnetwork Kitchens
1 tsp. gelatin
5 oz. tonic water
1 1/2 oz. gin
2 tsp. lime juice
Small wedges lime, key lime, or other small citrus
Pour about half the tonic into a bowl. Scatter the gelatin over the surface, do not stir, set aside until the gelatin blooms (softens). Meanwhile, warm the rest of the tonic over very low heat until just simmering. Whisk hot tonic, then gin into the gelatin. Pour jelly into 4 (2- ounce) shot glasses and garnish with lime wedges or citrus of choice.
Place in the refrigerator for 2 hours (or overnight) until set.
Fuzzy navel gelatin shots
Recipe courtesy of DrinkStreet.com
1 box orange gelatin (6 oz.)
16 oz. boiling water
6 oz. water, cold
6 oz. peach schnapps
Mix the gelatin with the boiling water until the powder is fully dissolved and then add the rest of the water and the alcohol. Pour the mixture into either shot glasses or paper cups. Allow to set for three hours.
Rum and coke gelatin shots
Recipe courtesy of DrinkStreet.com
1 box cherry gelatin (6 oz.)
8 oz. Cola (boiling)
8 oz. Cola (cold)
8 oz. light rum
Mix the gelatin with the boiling cola until the powder is fully dissolved. Then add the rest of the cola and run. At this point, you may wish to stir the mixture again until the bubbles begin to subside. Pour the mixture into shot glasses or paper cups. This mixture may take longer to set than the traditional gelatin mixtures due to the higher alcohol content.
