Fancy Jello Shots!

Ever since I had a Mai Tai in Jello form at Tiki Oasis, I've been wanting to make a fancy cocktail Jello shot. When my pal Claire posted a recipe in The Levo League that sounded delish- I decided that my 'side dish' for my sister's Labor Day BBQ would be Jello shots. 

Ingredients: Jalapeno infused Olmeca Altos Plata tequila, grapefruit and lime juice, honey, gelatin.

I mixed it up according to the directions. Claire recommended using silicone ice cube trays- and I happen to have a few in flower and Tiki head shapes. After putting the molds in a pan so they didn't wobble or spill, I filled them up and put them in the fridge.

Pretty fleshy flowers

The good: They firmed up in just a few hours. I popped them out with a little effort and most retained their shape. I thought they were pretty tasty, grapefruity, with a little spiciness. Everyone had seconds.

The bad: Some of them stuck to the sides of the molds, so they were kind of lumpy and weird looking. Because of the grapefruit juice they were kind of flesh colored. I liked them a lot, but some of the folks at the BBQ (mostly just my sister) thought they were a little too 'tequila-y' and tart.

If I make them again, I would experiment with a little food coloring to make them a bit prettier. I would stick with the flower forms and get some other similarly easily identifiable forms- the Tiki heads looked more like tongues (did have a bit of fun at the BBQ sticking them half way out of my mouth and wiggling them). I'd also add a bit more honey or another sugar- maybe agave syrup. I might also just make a pan of it and cut the shapes out. Seems a bit easier than the molds.

I swear that is a Tiki head! Not a tongue!

Best part is that I learned that Jello shots can be good! It is so easy to make tasty Jello shots instead os the nasty ones I've had in the past.

I'd really like to try them again with another liquor - Claire suggests vodka or gin, but I might try it with some Montanya platino rum

I've got big plans to make some interesting Jello cocktails for my Halloween party and October LUPEC meeting...maybe layered in candy corn colors with whipped cream in the mix...or something with a liquid center that 'bleeds' when you bite into it...

Hooray for Jello and booze!