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Updated on 02/19/24
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Prep: 20 mins
Cook: 5 mins
Refrigerate : 2 hrs
Total: 2 hrs 25 mins
Servings: 16 servings
Yield: 16 shots
335 ratings
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Colorful and delicious, boozy Jell-O shots are always a sure hit at any party. Sometimes called "jelly" shots, these popular shooters can be made in any gelatin flavor and spiked with your favorite liquor.
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Vodka and rum are the most popular options, but you can use just about anything. Once you have this basic Jell-O shot recipe down you can dress up your shooters with different colors, flavors, and add-ins.
Choosing a Flavored Gelatin for Your Shots
The first order of business when making jelly shots is choosing a gelatin to use. Remember that Jell-O is simply one popular brand of sweetened, flavored gelatin and that this name is often used to identify all flavored gelatins, just like "Band-Aid" has come to describe any sort of adhesive bandage or "Kleenex" generically describes tissues.
Most jelly shots are made with flavored gelatin, but you can also buy unflavored gelatin and add your own flavorings. Our recipe calls for a 3-ounce box of flavored gelatin—the most common size you'll find at the grocery store.
Gelatin is made from animal collagen, but you can find store-bought vegan alternatives to make these jiggly treats, too.
The Best Alcohol for Jell-O Shots
Because of its neutral taste, vodka is widely considered the best liquor for Jell-O shots. It's like a blank canvas for the other flavors. This recipe doesn't require a fine vodka; a good enough budget-friendly bottle will do since, in this case, it's all about the sweet gelatin that balances the vodka.
If you prefer a more flavor-forward shot, rum also works well. Alternatively, use tequila, whiskey, brandy, or gin or experiment with flavored liquors, such as lemon vodka.
For the best results, stick to a liquor that's about 80-proof (40% alcohol by volume). Even if you'd like boozier shots, resist the urge to use a higher-proof liquor such as Everclear.
There are a few reasons for this: First, if you use a higher-proof liquor, you may have some issues getting the shots to set up, asliquor has a different freezing pointthan water. You need to maintain a balance between the alcohol and the other liquids or you might end up with a shot that's more soupy than jiggly. Second, high-proof alcohols tend not to taste as good as other liquors. And finally, packing a high-proof alcohol into a sweet little package makes it all too easy for people to overdo it.
Molding Jello-Shots
To mold the shots, you can use 1-ounce disposable plastic cups, shot glasses, or silicone molds in any shape. If using individual cups, place them on a sheet pan so it's easy to transfer them to to the fridge. For easy pouring into the shots, use a turkey baster or a pitcher with a thin spout.
Although individual shots are easier to serve and involve very little cleanup, you can also make a tray of spiked Jell-O and cut it into cubes to serve. Any baking pan with sides will do, even a glass pie dish. Once it's set, simply cut the gelatin into portions and either lay them out on a serving tray or leave them in the dish for guests to grab as they wish.
Tipsy Tips for Making Fun Jello-Shots
- Color me—For more vibrantly colored shots, you can add a few drops of food coloring to the mixture before pouring it into the mold.
- Squeeze me—Small plastic shot cups are perfect for serving because a good squeeze pops the shot into your mouth. To make this easier, spray some cooking oil into the cups before pouring the liquid in, or rub them with a tiny drop of vegetable oil. This won't affect the taste.
- Cover me—If making the shots a couple days ahead of time and/or taking them to a party, buy shot cups with lids to protect your creations and store in the fridge until serving.
- Spoon me—If you serve the shots in small glasses, it's best to provide miniature spoons so guests can dig out the gelatin.
- Super-size me—To make a bigger Jell-O creation and easily unmold it, reduce the liquid volume slightly. Try a test batch with all the liquids cut in half or double up on the gelatin.
WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE THESE JELL-O SHOTS
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"Some infamous party drinks don't live up to the hype, but I think the Jell-O shot does. Sure, it's a bit of a gimmick, but it's genuinely tasty and you do get a solid kick from the booze. Plus, it's an excuse to eat Jell-O!" —Tom Macy
A Note From Our Recipe Tester
Ingredients
1/2 cup cold water, plus 1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup vodka, or other liquor
1 (3-ounce) package any flavor gelatin
Food coloring, optional
Steps to Make It
Gather the ingredients.
In a small bowl, combine 1/2 cup cold water and 1/2 cup vodka, or other liquor. Place the mixture in the refrigerator to reach a consistent temperature.
Place 1 (3-ounce) package any flavor gelatin in a separate bowl or glass measuring cup, and slowly add the remaining 1 cup boiling water. Stir until the gelatin is completely dissolved.
Pour the gelatin mixture into the water and liquor mixture. Stir well. If using food coloring to change or enhance the color, add it now.
Divide the mixture between shot glasses, molds, or a baking pan.Refrigerate until the liquid sets—at least 2 hours, but overnight is recommended. Serve cold and enjoy.
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Feeling Adventurous? Try This:
There are many things you can do to customize your Jell-O shots. Experiment with any of these ideas and be sure to start out with a test batch before scaling up the recipe:
- Mix and match flavored gelatin—You can use flavored gelatins to replace or enhance certain flavors in your shots.For example, in this margarita Jell-O shot, the lime-flavored gelatin gives a nice boost to the lime juice, but switching to strawberry gelatin creates an imitation of astrawberry margarita.
- Unflavored gelatin—Plain gelatin usually comes in 1/4-ounce envelopes with 2 1/2 teaspoons of gelatin, which should gel the 2 cups of liquid used in this recipe. Use unflavored gelatin when you want other flavors to shine. Some shots that use unflavored gelatin can look dull and boring. While the mixture is still liquid, change or enhance the color by adding small amounts of food coloring until you get the desired hue.
- Flavored booze—Useflavored alcohol, such as vodka, rum, or tequila to boost the flavor of your Jell-O shots.
- Color by flavor—Distinguish flavoredshots by their color. Use yellow for abanana daiquiri, red for aplanter's punch, and blue for ablue Hawaiian.
- Rainbow shot—To make layers, begin by making one flavor of gelatin and fill cups 1/2 or 1/3 of the way full. Chill these until it's almost set—about 1 to 1 1/2 hours—before adding the next flavor. Repeat until you have completed the layers.
- Fruit molds—The rinds of citrus fruits are fun molds for shots.Cut lemons, limes, or oranges in half and remove all of the fruit, leaving the peel intact. Fill this "bowl" with the gelatin mixture and allow it to set. Cut each rind into thirds or quarters for single-serve pieces.
- Fruity bits—Add small fruit pieces to the gelatin before it sets up. Berries and pitted cherries are the perfect accessories.
- Sweeten it up—If the shot is too tart, add simple syrupin lieu of a portion of the cold water—1 ounce or less of syrup should do.
- Experiment—You can transform almost any of your favorite co*cktail recipes into a jelly shot. The key is to maintain the original co*cktail's proportions while keeping the volume of cold liquid at 8 ounces.
How Strong Is a Jello Shot?
If you make the basic Jell-O shot with a single 80-proof liquor, the alcohol content comes out to be about 12 percent ABV (24 proof). That's equivalent to the average wine. While a couple of 1-ounce shots may not get you drunk, overindulging on these shots can happen more quickly than you might expect.
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Recipe Tags:
- Shot
- jello shot
- co*cktail
- american
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