Friday, August 3, 2012

Jello Shots

I hate when I'm about to consume a delicious looking jello shot, only to find that it tastes disgusting. Well, that's all about to change. Here is my recipe for THE best jello shots EVER! (at least I think so.. and they have been a hit on numerous occasions)

*Please note, these are only for those of legal drinking age. Please consume responsibly.*

For this one I used strawberry, but you can use any flavor you like. Be sure to check out some more tips at the end of the blog on variations to this recipe.

This makes about 12-14 shots. I tend to like to buy a bunch of small boxes and make several different flavors to take to an event.

This may sound more confusing than it is. It's really easy once you start making it!

Ingredients: 
1 box of Jello - please note there are two different size jello boxes. This recipe is for the small box (3oz). If you get the bigger one, just double the recipe.
Sugar
Boiling water
COLD water
COLD booze - make sure it's refrigerated before you make these - about an hour should be fine. *I prefer to use vodka for my standard jello shots. If you decide to start out with a different type of alcohol, please check the bottom of the blog for the correct ratios or else they won't taste right!*
Jello shot cups - you can pick these up at party city or a local restaurant supply store. See photo below:
Its about $6 for a bag of 250 at Party City. They are plastic 2oz souffle pots.
You will probably want to start by arranging your cups or "pots" on a tray. If you have a metal tray with an edge, that will work best. But use whatever you have. This will save you some time later.

Step one:
Boil water - 1 cup

Step two:
Combine the box of jello and 1/4 cup sugar.

Step three:
Add 1 cup boiling water to the sugar/jello mix. Be sure to stir - don't stir crazy fast or you will get lots of bubbles. Bubbles often tend to stay in the jello. Make sure the sugar and jello is completely dissolved.

Step four:
Add 5oz of vodka and 3 oz of cold water. Stir again!



Step five:
Now pour this into your jello shot cups. I tend to spill a lot so I use a measuring cup.




Step six:
Put them in the fridge (not the freezer!) for a good few hours before serving. I like to prepare mine the night before so they get to the perfect consistency.

Step seven:
Impress your friends with the most delicious jello shots they have ever tasted. Sometimes it's difficult to taste the alcohol, so be careful! Enjoy!

Two different flavors



Additional notes:
Get your favorite brand of vodka. If you get flavored vodka, you can even add a little less sugar since the flavor will help tone down the alcohol taste anyway.

Here is the recipe and proportions if you decide to go with another booze.

Small box recipe.
1 box of jello
1 cup boiling water
1/4-1/2 cup sugar (use your judgement depending on your brand of alcohol - for example, if you buy the cheap vodka, you may want to add a bit more sugar.) *If you are doubling the recipe - do not add more than 1/2 cup of sugar.*
WATER TO ALCOHOL RATIO:
30-50 proof (20%) - 6.5oz of booze to 1.5oz cold water
80-100 proof (45%) - 5oz booze to 3oz cold water
150-200 proof - 3oz booze to 10oz cold water

Using the ones I made as an example; Vodka is 80 proof. Therefore I would use 5oz of vodka and 3oz cold water. Just check the label on the bottle to see the proof or percent of your chosen alcohol to find out how much you need.

Additional tips:
If you want to make bubbly shots, add a little soda in place of water! Lemon lime soda tends to be a good choice.
If you want to make layered shots, be sure to let the first one completely gel before you pour on the next layer. I'm talking quite a few hours, even overnight. Or try adding a small amount of whip cream between layers.

Additional alcohol and flavor combinations:
brandy - orange or cherry
tequila - lime
rum and coke - unflavored jello
flavored vodka - matching flavored jello (cherry, strawberry, berry, etc)
rum - strawberry or black cherry
sake - lime
champagne - strawberry
coconut rum - pineapple
everclear - berry blue
chocolate liqueur - cherry

Be sure to let me know what creative combinations you come up with!