Buzz
St. Patrick's Day marks the celebration of Ireland's patron saint and is often observed with traditional Irish beverages like Guinness, Irish whiskey, and Irish cream. For those seeking a creative twist, consider crafting Irish-themed gelatin shots, whether with or without alcohol. Popular varieties include green shots, whiskey and Guinness-infused shots, and shots resembling the colors of the Irish flag.
Ingredients List
Making Tri-Colored Green Gelatin Shots
- 1¼ cups (294 ml) lemonade
- 5 teaspoons (14 g) unsweetened gelatin
- ¾ cup (176 ml) lime vodka
- 3 tablespoons (44 ml) sweetened condensed milk
- Green food coloring
- Whipped cream, for garnish
Yields 10 shots
Stout and Whiskey Gelatin Shots
- 1¼ cups (294 ml) Guinness
- ½ cup (118 ml) Irish whiskey
- 1 cup (235 ml) Irish cream, divided
- 8 teaspoons (23 g) unflavored gelatin, divided
- 4 teaspoons (19 g) granulated sugar
- ¼ cup (59 ml) cold water
- ½ cup (118 ml) boiling water
Yields 12 shots
Instructions
Creating Tri-Colored Green Gelatin Shots
Combine lemonade and gelatin. Pour lemonade into a small saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin over the lemonade's surface and let it soak for two minutes. Heat the saucepan over medium heat until gelatin dissolves, stirring constantly. Remove from heat once dissolved.
- It's recommended to use clear, unflavored gelatin for these shots, approximately two packets.
Integrate vodka and milk. Add alcohol and sweetened condensed milk into the warm lemonade-gelatin mix. Stir until fully combined. To make non-alcoholic shots, replace vodka with water.
- Instead of sweetened condensed milk, you can mix regular milk with ice cream.
Separate the mixture. Divide the gelatin mix into three bowls, ensuring equal portions. This division allows coloring each bowl differently to achieve tri-colored jello shots.
Incorporate food coloring into the bowls. Opt for green and neon green food coloring for best results. Experiment with quantities for different shades. For a basic tri-colored effect:
- In the first bowl, mix two drops each of green and neon green for a light shade.
- In the second bowl, mix four drops each of green and neon green for a medium shade.
- In the third bowl, mix six drops each of green and neon green for a dark shade.
- For Irish flag shots, leave one bowl white, color one bowl green, and the last bowl orange.
Layer the light green jello. Place your 10 shot glasses on a tray or baking sheet. Fill each glass one-quarter full with the light green jello, forming the bottom layer. Chill the glasses in the refrigerator for 20 minutes to set.
- Cover the remaining jello bowls with plastic wrap to prevent them from setting.
- You can use various types of shot glasses, but ensure they're transparent for layered visibility.
- For Irish flag shots, start with the green layer at the bottom.
Add the medium green jello layer. Retrieve the chilled shots from the refrigerator. Uncover the medium green jello and fill each glass with the same amount as the light green layer. The glasses should now be half full.
- Return the glasses to the refrigerator for another 20 minutes after filling them with the second layer.
- In Irish flag shots, the second layer should be whitish.
Incorporate the dark green jello layer. After another 20 minutes, take the shots out of the refrigerator. Remove the plastic from the dark green jello and add the final layer. Ensure equal distribution of light, medium, and dark green jello, filling the glasses three-quarters full.
- For Irish flag shots, pour the orange layer last.
Allow the jello to set. Once all layers are poured, return the shots to the refrigerator. Let them set overnight ideally, or at least for four hours until completely firm. Cover the shots with plastic wrap to prevent a film from forming on top of the jello.
- Prevent a film on the jello by covering it with a large piece of plastic wrap.
Top with whipped cream before serving. Just before serving, remove the shots from the refrigerator. Garnish each with a small dollop of whipped cream to fill the remaining quarter of the glass. Optionally, add green or gold sugar for decoration. Serve with small spoons for easy enjoyment.
Creating Stout and Whiskey Jello Shots
Blend whiskey and gelatin. Empty the Irish whiskey into a medium mixing bowl and sprinkle 4 teaspoons (11.5 g) of gelatin on top. Let it sit for two minutes to absorb the whiskey, then stir the mixture.
- This recipe uses about four envelopes of gelatin, so you'll use approximately two now.
Warm up the Guinness. Pour the Guinness into a small saucepan and heat it over medium heat. Monitor the temperature with a candy thermometer and heat it to 150 F (65.5 C). This temperature is enough to dissolve the gelatin without burning off the alcohol.
- You can also microwave the Guinness for 80 seconds to heat it.
- Any dry stout beer can substitute for Guinness in this recipe.
Introduce sugar to the Guinness. Once the Guinness reaches the correct temperature, take it off the heat. Add sugar to the hot beer and stir for one to two minutes until the sugar dissolves completely.
Mix the Guinness and gelatin blend. Pour the hot, sweetened Guinness into the bowl with the Irish whiskey and gelatin. Stir until the two mixtures combine thoroughly, ensuring the gelatin dissolves completely.
Fill the shot glasses with jello. Arrange 12 shot glasses on a tray or baking sheet for easier handling. Distribute the Guinness and whiskey mixture evenly among the glasses, filling each about three-quarters full.
- If there's any leftover stout and whiskey jello, pour it into a larger glass or bowl.
Chill the shots. Cover the glasses with a large sheet of plastic wrap and place them in the refrigerator. Let them partially set for an hour. It's crucial not to wait longer, as it may affect the adherence of the foam layer to the bottom jello layer.
Create the foam top layer. Mix ¼ cup (59 ml) of Irish cream with cold water in a small bowl. Sprinkle the remaining 4 teaspoons (11.5 g) of gelatin over it and let it sit for two minutes. Then, add boiling water and stir until the gelatin dissolves. Incorporate the remaining ¾ cup (176 ml) of Irish cream and stir well.
- Don't prepare the foam layer until the bottom layer has firmed up.
Pour the foam layer onto the shots. Once the foam jello is ready, take the shot glasses out of the refrigerator. Add a layer of foam jello to the top of each glass to mimic the foam atop a beer.
Allow the shots to set. After topping off all the glasses with foam, cover them again with plastic wrap. Return them to the refrigerator and let them set overnight or for at least four hours. The shots are ready when the jello is completely firm.
