# Jello shot chemistry **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 3, 2001, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jello-shot-chemistry/79564 "2001-09-03T20:27:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2001, 8:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jello-shot-chemistry/79564/1 "2001-09-03T20:27:54Z")
Inspired by [this thread,](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?threadid=85151) but my questions are getting a little bit too involved. I want the shots to have roughly the same alcohol content as a shot of vodka, so should I just use alcohol instead of water? Won’t the alcohol evaporate if I boil it? Should I make them twice as big and just add the whole bottle of vodka(a big one) after the jello has cooled a bit? Should I use two packets? ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2001, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jello-shot-chemistry/79564/2 "2001-09-03T21:02:13Z")
Cripes, I’ve been living outside old the U-S-of-A too long. Excuse me for the hijack, but what the _hell_ is a jello shot? I’ve been seeing references to them for a few years, but I continue to be a bit mystified about the whole concept. It’s what, jello made with alcohol? Do you eat it with a spoon? Swallow the whole gelatinous mass in one go? When did these things become popular? Where did they originate? (California I bet.) ('Bout the most complicated party drink around these parts is a _Ron Cortez_ and cola.) (The Horror! The Horror!) ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2001, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jello-shot-chemistry/79564/3 "2001-09-03T21:40:41Z")
Jello shots can be made in several different ways but the basic premise is the same: alcoholic Jello. It can be made in shot glasses or cut into cubes from a shallow baking pan. They are usually swallowed whole. I have no idea where they originated but probably in a bar or club somewhere. They can be really dangerous because you can eat tons of then and then all of a sudden they hit you and knock you on your bootay. ---
**Author:** ![rundogrun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/5daacb/32.png) [@rundogrun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rundogrun)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2001, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jello-shot-chemistry/79564/4 "2001-09-03T23:42:20Z")
You can pretty much make them with straight vodka, however, you need to use water to disolve the jello first. Just use a small amount of boiling water, say 1/4 of a cup…let it disolve, then let it cool down. Add the vodka (or rum), pour it into Dixie riddle cups (the jokes are much funnier after half a dozen of these), and let the hilarity ensue. These were a staple in my bachelor beachhouse days! ---
**Author:** ![thinksnow](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thinksnow/32/2849_2.png) [@thinksnow](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/thinksnow)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 12:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jello-shot-chemistry/79564/5 "2001-09-04T00:17:22Z")
It gets _real_ interesting when you use Everclear instead of vodka. Interesting and stupifying. ---
**Author:** ![katiekilldare](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/838e76/32.png) [@katiekilldare](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/katiekilldare)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 12:23am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jello-shot-chemistry/79564/6 "2001-09-04T00:23:58Z")
Everytime I’ve seen jell-o shots, they’d been prepared in ice trays. ---
**Author:** ![Lsura](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7993a0/32.png) [@Lsura](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lsura)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 12:27am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jello-shot-chemistry/79564/7 "2001-09-04T00:27:00Z")
We used to make them in college(91-95). Unfortunately, I can’t remember how we made them at the moment. What I do remember is that it’s an easy way to mask the taste of vodka if you don’t like it. Before I learned to like vodka shots, these were my “beverage” of choice if I was looking to get blasted. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 4:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jello-shot-chemistry/79564/8 "2001-09-04T04:14:28Z")
[http://www.chatnet.com/jellosho/](http://www.chatnet.com/jellosho/) ---
**Author:** ![Dixiechic91](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/9de0a6/32.png) [@Dixiechic91](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dixiechic91)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 4:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jello-shot-chemistry/79564/9 "2001-09-04T04:48:58Z")
I have found the little Ketchup cup from Wendy’s restaurant very handy in the making and consumption of jello shots! ---
**Author:** ![They\_Call\_Me\_Sneeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@They\_Call\_Me\_Sneeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/They_Call_Me_Sneeze)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 5:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jello-shot-chemistry/79564/10 "2001-09-04T05:16:45Z")
I am a jello shot expert. If you want them to be strong and still not taste like ass flavored jello, mix 1/4 part juice and 3/4 vodka. I think one small box of jello needs two cups of liquid. Do one half cup juice, 1 and a half cups vodka. For example, I made some peach flavored jello with sunny delite, and some black cherry jello with hawaiin punch. Good, good stuff. ---
**Author:** ![Ferggie](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@Ferggie](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ferggie)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 8:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jello-shot-chemistry/79564/11 "2001-09-04T08:47:42Z")
My friends make them in Dixie cups. We just peel off the cups to eat them. ---
**Author:** ![Sultan\_Kinkari](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/7bcc69/32.png) [@Sultan\_Kinkari](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sultan_Kinkari)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jello-shot-chemistry/79564/12 "2001-09-04T23:18:37Z")
Everybody, thanks for the great tips. **They Call Me Sneeze** , Should I boil the alcohol and the juice? ---
**Author:** ![Myrr21](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e495f1/32.png) [@Myrr21](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrr21)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2001, 11:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jello-shot-chemistry/79564/13 "2001-09-04T23:37:45Z")
You want to boil the water to dissolve the Jello, and then add the vodka cold. Actually made em with gin once. That was kinda interesting; they had this weird gin and lime taste. ---
**Author:** ![They\_Call\_Me\_Sneeze](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/6a8cbe/32.png) [@They\_Call\_Me\_Sneeze](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/They_Call_Me_Sneeze)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2001, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/jello-shot-chemistry/79564/14 "2001-09-05T02:58:55Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by wishbone \* > Should I boil the alcohol and the juice? \*\* Just boil the juice, and add the alcohol cold or at room tempterature. (You are supposed to dissolve the jello in the boiling water, and then add cold water - in this case it is cold alcohol, but at room temperature is fine). (In other words, yeah, what Myrr21 said) As a bonus, the boiling juice makes your kitchen smell really nice : )