Jelly Shots

In 1862 Jerry Thomas, in what is widely considered to be the world's first cocktail guide, "How to Mix Drinks", wrote, 'Many persons, particularly of the softer sex, have been tempted to partake so plentifully of it as to render them somewhat unfit for waltzing or quadrilling after supper.'
And the seemingly-innocent but lethal beverage of which he writes? None other than today's much-maligned Jelly Shot.
Basic Jelly Shot recipe
- 20g gelatine
- 80ml hot water
- 30ml cold water
- 50ml cold alcohol
Margarita Jelly Shot
- 1 oz fresh lime juice
- ¾ oz granulated sugar dissolved in 1½ oz water
- 1¼ oz gelatine
- 3 oz tequila
- 2 oz Cointreau
- Food colouring if desired
Tequila Jelly Shot
- 1 square lime jelly
- 100ml hot water
- Juice of 2 large limes
- 200ml tequila
Lemon Drops
- 1 packet lemon jelly
- 16 oz hot water
- 8 oz cold water
- 8 oz vodka
Fussy Navel Jelly Shots
- 1 packet peach jelly
- 16 oz boiling water
- 6 oz cold water
- 6 oz peach schnapps
- Alcohol served in this way is absorbed more slowly. Even practised drinkers will underestimate how much they've drunk so you might want to use more water and less alcohol if you're serving lots of jelly shots.
- Leave the shot glasses out of the fridge for a while before serving to allow them to melt slightly, so they slip easily out of the glass.
- Use paper cups: it makes it easier for your guests to get the shot out.
- Cut oranges in half and scoop out the flesh. Fill with the jelly mixture and leave to set. Cut into quarters to serve.
- You can make jello shots with almost any type of alcohol, but you need to adjust the proportions of alcohol and cold water to ensure that the shot still sets. The higher the proof of the alcohol, the more water that is required for it to set.
- Letting the warm mixture cool for 5 minutes before adding the cold water will help stop the alcohol evaporating.
- Make sure the alcohol is very cold before stirring it in.
- According to one legend, Tom Lehrer, the American satirist, invented the vodka jelly shot when working for America's security agency in the 1950s, as a way of getting round the restriction on alcohol on the premises.
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My what wonderful recipes! especially the tips- it's sure to bring fun to an easter picnic here.
Roach - 21-Apr-11 @ 12:55 PM