So I volunteered to make jello shots for a halloween party this coming weekend. I’m planning on peach jello with vodka and strawberry/banana jello with coconut rum. I’ve never actually made jello shots before, but I understand the basic recipe: replace half of the water with the alcohol of your choice and follow the directions from there.
I’ve seen recipes that call for you to boil the water then add the alcohol to it before adding it to the powder, and I’ve seen recipes that call for you to boil the water and the alcohol together.
The directions on the side of the box call for one cup of boiling water and one cup of cold water. So I’ll boil one cup of water and add one cup of whichever alcohol I’m using, but the water will be at or just below boiling point. Won’t that heat the alcohol up to a temperature above 100[sup]o[/sup]F and cause evaporation of The Good Stuff, leaving only the flavor of the spirit? If so, how do I ensure that a maximum amount of the alcohol remains potent in the shot?
I’m not looking to get bombed on these shots, and I don’t think anyone else is either, but this has always been a question in my mind. I don’t think I’ve ever gotten blasted on jello shots before (I’ve tried before), and I’ve always wondered if it was because there’s so little alcohol in the tiny amount of jello or if it was because only the “flavor” of the alcohol was left in it by the time it set up.
Maybe jello shots are the greatest hoax of our time. Make people think they can get wasted on alcohol-infused spoonfuls of jello, but in reality, there isn’t enough alcohol in them to get a mouse buzzed…
If someone could come along and offer solutions to my dilemma, that’d be great. Also, if anyone has any tips or tricks when preparing them, I’d appreciate it.
Having made them many times in college, and through trial and error…
Don’t just substitute equal parts water with alcohol, or you will end up with a soupy mess that never sets. I had good success with 1/3 water, 2/3 alcoholic drink, and double packets of pectin.
Mix the hot water with with the pectin and stir until soupy, then add room temp alcohol, stirring as you go.
No, there isn’t enough alcohol to get drunk off of, but it is surprising what the placebo effect does to people who think that they are somehow “chemically concentrated alcohol”.
I beg to differ. My friend’s ex-roommate used to make amazingly potent jello shots. It was kind of funny, actually, because no one was expecting to get drunk off of them (we all thought as you did), and then somehow, it happened. I don’t know what she did to them, but it’s fairly likely that I’ll run into her at a party on Saturday, so I’ll try to remember to ask.
I make Jello shots every 4th of July. I use hot water to disolve the jello. Then substitute vodka for the cold water. They always set great.They are a little strong, so if you are not a lush like my friends and I, you may want to reduce the liquor.
We go through a lot of Jello shots during a few various yearly festivals. My favorite recipe (and the ones that get the best feedback are as follows).
use big packets of Jello (or combine two small packets)
chill the alcohol (whatever it happens to be)
mix two cups of hot water with the Jello to dissolve the crystals (this is the same as the instructions on the package)
add one cup of cold water and one cup of cold alcohol (of your choice)
ladle into containers
chill and let set
A lot of people want to use more alcohol. This is a mistake. Jello shots are a novelty/fun drink. They aren’t meant to be the thing that gets people drunk. Make them taste good.
One other important thing is the cups you make them in. My advice is to avoid paper. Also avoid hard plastic that will break as people try to get the Jello out. Ideally use the soft disposable shot glasses that the bars sometimes use on busy nights. They are the right size and material. If you can find lids for them, even better.
We do make a “special” Jello shot too. We make our blue Jello shots using the recipe above, but we use Everclear (190 proof grain alcohol) for the booze. They actually burn on the way down. This sort of violates the “make it taste good” rule, but some people really like them. Others learn to avoid the blue Jello shots.
Also, spray whipped cream can be fun to have on hand for them as well. Remember, Jello is fun!
Go to your nearest Mickey D’s and ask for/take a pile of the little ketchup containers - they’re the right size, and flexible enough that you can pop the shot out like a giant alcoholic zit…
…ahem…
actually, I usually pop them out onto a cold metal tray just before guests arrive - they get to suck them up off the tray without worrying about the cup. Also, making them layered is always a hit.
Lemon drops are my favourite - tequila and lemon jelly, sometimes layered as lemon/orange/lime.
I had Everclear jello-shots in college and got incredibly sick. Of course I did eat a lot of them. ::Bleh:: It was 4-5 years before I could even think about eating jello again.
The paper ketchup containers at fast food joints do work very well as another poster noted. And absconding with a stack of them is part of the fun.
We always made them with using hot water for the hot water, let it cool a bit, and then added very cold (ie, left in the freezer overnight) 160 proof Devil’s Spring vodka (we lived in NY, and IIRC that was the highest you could buy in NY.)
I guess I should have mentioned that we tend to stick with the basics for alcohol, vodka, rum, and of course, grain alcohol. I think we made some with tequila too, but I don’t remember the flavor of the Jello. That’s important, btw. Use Jello that goes with your alcohol. Vodka goes with most flavors, but it seems very suited for green Jello. All of our rum Jello shots are red (I’m sure Dopers can get that reference). Blue as previous mentioned is for the Everclear. Friends have made Jello shots with various forms of “candy” alcohol, but more often than not, they just don’t work out. The fact that everything we use is at least 80 proof might explain my 1 cup alcohol rule too.
One last thing, Jello shots are kind of like jelly beans or popsicles. People tend to grab the red ones first. The orange and grape get left for last. With that in mind, we make a lot more red ones than any other color (and don’t bother with orange and purple).
I ran across two more boxes of jello last night (orange) and decided to mix the orange with the peach jello and add vodka to make quasi-fuzzy navel jello shots. I haven’t made the shots yet. I’m going to have to do it late tonight or early tomorrow.
Now that I’ve read everyone’s replies, I’m really looking forward to being creative with them.
Oh, and my husband brought home about a 100 of those little plastic cups from his restaurant, so I’m covered there. They’re 2-oz cups, so I’m going to put about an ounce into each of them to stretch the shots as far as they can go. Like someone said, they’re a novelty. There will be plenty to drink at this particular party and plenty of people who aren’t into jello shots or would rather just drink beer.
My wife makes great jello shots. She will dissolve the jello mix in half the suggested amount of hot water (3/4 a cup per box), and then add the rest in alcohol (1-1 1/2 cups). Her secret in making them is matching the flavor of the jello with flavor of Pucker. You won’t get as hammered as if you’re using Everclear, but they taste great.
Just a warning since you can’t really taste the alcohol its very easy to get drunk without even noticing.
I also substitute alcohol for all the cold water–and I find it sets better and quicker if I put them in the freezer to set.
If you can find it where you live, cranberry jell-o mixes great with vodka. Ditto lemon. Lime I only use with tequila. Clear liquors seem to work best; a friend of mine once made some with Myers’ rum and the result was less than desirable.
If you have a Smart and Final store in your area, they carry the perfect size paper cups for your shots. Try restaurant supply houses as well.
Yes to the whipped cream, no to the nuts and etc. A properly done Jello shot is not chewed. You don’t want people trying to swallow the Jello and choking on nuts or whatever.
Regarding the comment on clear alcohol, that is mostly what we use too. We have very good luck with rum Jello shots though. We use clear Bacardi.
I now also recall we made a batch with fruit cocktail also mixed in, I think we used rum. It was a bit messier, not quite successful as a finger food, but quite tasty.
