Jell-O Shots

It just wouldn't be summer without Jell-O shots. There's something about those giggly concoctions that just brings you back to your childhood, even if they are filled with alcohol ;-) My recipe is pretty awesome if I do say so myself, because it uses juice as a substitute to some of the water which gives them so much more flavor and hides some of the alcohol taste (dangerous, I know). Here's the recipe for one of my favorites, Black Cherry Cranberry.

-1 box black cherry Jell-O

-1 cup black cherry cranberry juice

-3/4 cup cherry vodka

-1/4 cup cold water

Bring juice to a boil on the stove. Add Jell-O and cook until dissolved, stirring frequently, approx. 1-2 minutes. Turn heat off and add cold vodka and cold water. Stir and immediately pour into 2oz portion cups. One box of Jell-O usually yields approx. 15 shots for me. Refrigerate until set. Remember, because of the alcohol content the shots will take longer to set than usual Jell-O. Eat, rest, and repeat until buzzed. Careful! They catch up to you quickly because they taste so good and so little like alcohol. But that's exactly the way we like them :-)

Tips: Don't worry about buying top shelf liquor, the juice helps to hide the alcohol taste so I usually buy a bottle of vodka that runs me $12 or so. I purchased the portion cups at GFS, but they're available at pretty much any bulk supply store (Sam's Club, BJ's, etc.). Experiment with different types of alcohol, Jell-O flavors and juice flavors to make endless combinations. I've made Jell-O shots with coconut rum, pineapple Jell-O and pineapple juice, cherry vodka with cherry lime-aid and cherry Jell-O, etc. Get crazy! And don't forget to rock them out in an awesome cooler like the one pictured above to keep them nice and chilly.