Your next party will be long remembered after you bring out the sweet, tart and fun-filled Lemon Drop Jell-O Shots.
Tonight’s deliciously sweet, tart and jiggly recipe is one that seems to span the decades, like a boozy traveler sashaying through time and space. Well, maybe it isn’t that dramatic, but it’s a fun image to conjure up. Especially after a few Lemon Drop Jell-O Shots.
In the 1950s, when famous satirist and musician Tom Lehrer was in the military, the ever-creative Lehrer mixed vodka with orange Jell-O to get around a base-wide booze ban for a Christmas party, inadvertently inventing the modern Jell-O Shot. A few decades later, in the 1970s, San Francisco bartender Norman Jay Hobday was inspired by the classic Lemon Drop candies and crafted the Lemon Drop Martini at Henry Africa’s, one of the nation’s first “Fern Bars”, where fruity flavored cocktails would soon rule the coming years. The Lemon Drop Martini proved to be so popular that it inspired the smaller Lemon Drop Shot soon after.
And these roads eventually led to today’s potent and wriggling recipe. The Lemon Drop Jell-O Shots combine the inventiveness of the Jell-O Shot with the tart and sweet satisfaction found in the Lemon Drop Martini, or Lemon Drop Shot if you prefer. Just make sure you have more than enough to go around, as this is a shooter that has a strong “blink-and-you’ll-miss-it” quality.
What is the best alcohol to use in Lemon Drop Jell-O Shots?
A smooth, clear and clean-tasting unflavored vodka will be the best option for that particular spirit. There’ll be a plethora of citrusy notes dancing around this recipe, so we don’t want anything to compete with or overwhelm any element in this mixture. For the triple sec, a Cointreau will have a velvety and warm orange flavor, or for something slightly more complex, go with a cognac-blended Grand Marnier. Either choice will help to deliver a balanced-tasting shot.
Ingredients
- 4 large, thick-skinned lemons
- 1 envelope unflavored gelatin
- 1 box lemon-flavored Jell-O
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup vodka chilled
- 1/4 cup triple sec chilled
Instructions
Prepare The Lemon "Molds"
- Slice the lemons in half lengthwise, from stem to end. Carefully scoop out all the pulp from each lemon half. Be gentle to avoid piercing the rind. Squeeze the pulp through a fine-mesh strainer to get your 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice. Set the juice aside.
- Place the hollowed-out lemon rinds snugly into the cups of a muffin tin to hold them steady.
Make The Lemon Drop Jell-O Mixture
- In a small bowl, pour the 1/4 cup of fresh lemon juice. Sprinkle the packet of unflavored gelatin evenly over the top. Let it sit for 5 minutes without stirring.
- In a separate bowl, empty the packet of lemon-flavored Jell-O. Pour the 1 cup of boiling water over it and whisk until the powder is fully dissolved.
- Add the unflavored gelatin mixture to the hot lemon Jell-O. Whisk continuously until the gelatin has also completely dissolved and there are no clumps or grains remaining. Stir in the chilled vodka and chilled triple sec and mix well.
Fill, Chill, And Slice
- Carefully pour the liquid Jell-O mixture into the hollowed-out lemon rinds in the muffin tin, filling them to the brim. Transfer the muffin tin to the refrigerator. Let the Jell-O shots chill for at least 4 hours, or until completely firm. Overnight is best.
- Once set, place one lemon half, cut-side down, on a cutting board. Slice each half into 2 or 3 wedges.
Nutrition
What glassware and garnish are used?
Here’s an instance when the glassware IS the garnish, if you get my meaning. Just follow the recipe’s instructions above to achieve the proper and eye-popping way to slurp these shooters.
Can you serve these shots in regular glassware?
If you’re in a rush or are having a little bit of trouble prepping this recipe’s hollowed-out lemon “cups”, you can always opt for the more traditional method of storing and serving Jell-O Shots.
Other Jell-O shots worth trying
When it is time to throw a party, especially a themed one, you can’t go wrong with a tray of booze-filled Jell-O shooters. And ever since they made their first appearance decades ago, these brilliant little tasty wrigglers have kept many a reveler nice and relaxed during any festivity they’ve been served at. Check out some of these versions below.
- Halloween Jell-O Shots – Have a spooky and candied experience with these festive shooters.
- Champagne Jell-O Shots – Add a bit of bubbly to this celebratory recipe.
- Pudding Shots – Jell-O pudding helps make this shot a smooth and creamy one.
- Fireball Jell-O Shots – Some cinnamon whiskey breathes a little fire into these treats.
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