4th of July Jell-O Shots!

Nothing says AMERICA like mixing booze with Jello. 

+=

Every fourth of July I throw a pretty kick ass pool party/BBQ at my place and every year I make three different kinds of Jello shots, a red one, a blue one and a white one. They're very patriotic and always the hit of the party.

2009

2010

2011

So, making Jello shots is fairly easy if you know what you're doing. I'm going to give you the recipe that I do, although keep in mind that you don't have to use the same Jello flavors or boozes that I did. For a super basic recipe, just use vodka.

RED JELL-O SHOT

These shots are delicious and taste like candy. The booze is not a high proof so you can't taste it at all.

                                                  

Ingredients:

-6 oz box of strawberry Jello (or cherry, raspberry or any other red flavor)

-2 cups boiling water

-1 cup Peach Schnapps (ideally you should chill it in the fridge a bit first)

-1 cup cold water 

Directions:

-Stir the Jello powder into the boiling water until fully dissolved.

-Add the cold water and Peach Schnapps.

-Pour into plastic shot cups. 

-Refrigerate until set.

Now, when pouring, I find it easier to add the mixture to a measuring cup. It's a lot easier and neater than doing it from a ladle. There is a debate raging about what the best cups are to use for Jello shots. Some like the little paper Dixie cups because you can just tear them apart for easier consumption but I like the clear plastic ones so you can see the vibrant colors. Whatever you do, don't get the super rigid plastic shot cups because they shatter when you squeeze them. The ones I get are from Smart and Final and I think are listed as condiment cups and come with lids.

BLUE JELL-O SHOT

You can taste the booze a bit more in these. This means they're not as tasty, but they get the job done faster!

Ingredients:

-6 oz box of berry blue Jello (it's really the only blue Jello flavor out there)

-2 cups boiling water

-1 cup UV blue (raspberry flavored vodka)

-1 cup cold water 

Directions:

First off let me say that if you can't find the UV blue, any vodka will work here. I like the UV because it gives the shots an extra blue color and it's a little tastier than regular vodka. Also it's 30 proof so it's nice and strong.

-Stir the Jello powder into the boiling water until fully dissolved.

-Add the cold water and UV blue.

-Pour into plastic shot cups. 

-Refrigerate until set.

WHITE JELL-O SHOT

These are the most difficult shots to make but they taste like Pina Colada and seem to be people's favorite!

Ingredients:

-1 (1 ounce box-4 packets) of unflavored gelatin (Although they do make white Jello that is pina colada flavored, I have yet to find it in stores and seems to only be available online)

-1 and 1/4 cup Pineapple flavored Malibu

-3/4 cup coconut milk

-2 cups boiling water

-1/2 cup sugar

Directions:

If you can't find Pineapple Malibu, just get regular Malibu or another coconut rum. It'll be just as delicious.

-Pour the room temperature rum into a large bowl. 

-Sprinkle the gelatin over the rum and let sit for about 1 minute.

-Add the boiling water while stirring constantly with a fork. Stir until dissolved.

-Add the coconut milk and sugar. Stir.

-Pour into plastic shot cups.

-Refrigerate until set.

If you want to add a little extra flair to your Jello shot presentation, arrange in the shape of an American flag. You can do this on a cookie sheet or any rectangular serving platter. For the white "stars" on the blue Jello shot part of the flag, I simply got a can of whipped cream, put it right up against the shot and gave a quick little squirt. 

And I'm proud to be an American.

Okay that's it for your patriotic and booze filled blog entry. Shoot us a message if you end up making these and let us know how they turned out! Happy 4th everyone!