Look, no matter how experienced, classy, or sophisticated a drinker you are, no one is above Jell-O Shots. These tried-and-true party drinks are simple to make, instant crowd-pleasers, and easy to create ahead of time in large batches to cut down on serving and cleanup hassle.
And just because it's a co*cktail served in semi-solid form doesn't mean you can't create a high-quality Jell-O Shot using proper spirits and complementary flavors, rather than grain alcohol and neon food coloring. Vodka and white rum are both great options for your alcohol, although other spirits, like gin, whiskey, tequila and brandy all work.
How to Make Jell-O Shots
Jell-O Shots, in their most basic form, require just three ingredients: gelatin, water and liquor. Any flavor of gelatin will work, but don't use the unflavored variety, unless you're adding additional ingredients or your guests just truly enjoy the taste of chewy hard liquor.
While this recipe follows the original three-ingredient Jell-O Shot template, it can be tweaked to create countless other variations. With a little extra effort, it's possible to create a range of classic crowd-pleasing co*cktails in Jell-O Shot format, whether the Whiskey Sour, Margarita or Daiquiri. To do this, you need to match the co*cktail ingredients with the liquid requirement in the recipe.
For example, if you’re making a Daiquiri and using one package of gelatin, the rum, lime juice, and simple syrup should maintain their proper ratios while keeping the total volume of non-boiling liquid (co*cktail plus cold water) to eight ounces. In this example, using white rum as your base spirit, you could simply replace the 4 ounces of cold water listed below with two ounces of lime juice and two ounces of simple syrup, to create a Daiquiri Jell-O Shot.
As long as you keep the general proportions and swap the cold water with an equal amount of other cold, non-alcoholic ingredients, you should be able to experiment to your heart's content and come up with an endless array of interesting combinations.
Ingredients
3 ounces Jell-O or other flavored gelatin
8 ounces boiling water
4 ounces vodka or white rum
4 ounces cold water
Steps
In a medium bowl, stir together the Jell-O and boiling water until the Jell-O dissolves.
Add the vodka or rum and cold water, and stir to combine.
Pour 1 ounce of the mixture into each of the 16 shot glasses (small plastic or paper cups will also work) and chill until solid.
Other Popular Shots and Shooters
While shooters (mixed drinks presented in single portions via shot glasses) often get a bad rap, they can be simple ways to serve large groups of guests, or to stretch a single co*cktail into multiple servings to share the love and keep people having fun longer. Here are a handful of popular party shooters to try.
B-52 Shot: This combination of Baileys, Grand Marnier, and coffee liqueur is notable for the unique visual effect of its layered ingredients. May be set on fire at the user's discretion.
Green Tea Shot: You won't find any tea in this popular dive bar shooter, but its combination of Irish whiskey, peach schnapps, and citrus are named after an uncanny resemblance to the popular Arizona Green Tea offering.
Kamikaze: Despite it's association with 1980s excess (and a movie in which Tom Cruise plays the world's slowest bartender), the Kamikaze actually faithfully follows the classic sour co*cktail template, essentially making it a vodka Margarita.
Washington Apple Shot: This shootable version of the Canadian whisky-based Washington Apple co*cktail is surprisingly balanced, given its double-tart touch of sour apple liqueur and cranberry.
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