11 Jello Shots to Get Your Next Party Started

Irish Coffee Jell-O Shots Recipe

If you’re looking for an easy way to get the St. Patrick’s Day party started, look no further than these Irish coffee inspired Jell-O shots, featuring layers of Kahlúa-spiked coffee, Baileys Irish cream, and Irish whiskey. We also included a bit of pecan liqueur (because it’s delicious), but feel free to replace it with an additional 1/4-cup Baileys. 

Screwdriver Jello Shots in Orange Peels Recipe

Before you scoff at the idea of Jello shots being classy, just let me finish. When a vodka-based orange gelatin mixture is set inside a hollowed orange, then sliced into pyramids, the finished Jello shots look more like sparkly crystals than the sad paper cup shots you took at frat parties in college. We used an orange for this version, but keep in mind that most citrus fruits will work here as bases—you could even try to confuse your brunch guests by serving lemon shots inside a grapefruit peel. Or cherry shots inside a lime. Or blue raspberry shots inside a blood orange. Or—OK, you get it.

Here we’ve made a screwdriver Jello shot with orange gelatin and vodka, but you could also get fancy with the liquor here. Lime jello with gin would make this a gimlet Jello shot. A bit of bourbon with the orange gelatin and a bit of grenadine would be like a jiggly Old Fashioned. You could even try using unflavored gelatin, cola, and white rum for a weirdly satisfying chewable rum and coke.

Pomegranate Champagne Jello Shots Recipe

These sophisticated squares are a far cry from the jello shots you had in college. They're not very sweet, so if you'd like them sweeter, use demi-sec sparkling wine. The Pop Rocks® pop immediately once they're wet, so serve them on the side, to be sprinkled on right before eating.

Carrot Cake Gelly Shots Recipe

Dessert meets cocktail: Bourbon-y spiced carrot gelatin delivers familiar warming flavors, and creamy vermouth is absolutely the "frosting" on the cake.

Strawberry and Champagne Jello Shots Are More Dangerous Than They Look Recipe

At your next romantic brunch, you could make a toast to true love with a plain ol’ flute of bubbly and a sad, sunken strawberry, or you could get rowdy with these gorgeous, grown-up Champagne jello shots. Champagne jello shots—or jello jigglers, if you prefer—have completely taken over Pinterest. I don’t hate it, but I am, however, surprised at the sad lack of rose (like the flower) and rosé (as in pink sparkling wine) jello shots. Oh, hello, rosé rose jello shots. Trust that this jello shot recipe ain’t anything like the ones you remember from your dorm room days. They’re a boozy masterpiece that’ll have you swooning (and quite possibly swaying).

This recipe for strawberry and Champagne jello shots takes three days, but I swear it’s not that time-consuming. And even if it were, it’d be 100 percent worth the wow. Just set aside a few minutes for prep before bed, and wake up to these pretty-in-pink brunch party treats. First, soak strawberries in rosé overnight to make strawberry-infused Champagne and Champagne-infused strawberries—both of which are used in this rose jello shot recipe. On the second night, prepare the gelatin mixture as you usually would when making jello shots and include rose simple syrup to add sweetness in place of granulated sugar and fresh edible rose petals (if you’re feeling fancy) for a vibrant garnish. 

Now you’re probably thinking, Those are some expensive, bougie-ass jello shots—but they are not at all. I happily left my neighborhood liquor store double-fisting bottom-shelf rum and a $15 bottle of rosé. Opt for the cheapest bottles to save a few bucks, but if you can afford to ball out, by all means, do just that, too. 

But beware: No matter which price range you stick to, these suckers will make it extremely hard for you to predict when you’ve had just enough. They’re strong and sneaky. With a decent amount of rum and a double dose of strawberry-infused Champagne mixed into the gelatin, you’re bound to get the party started early and quickly. Serve these easy Champagne jello shots at your Galentine’s brunch, or treat yourself and your special someone to boozy breakfast in bed.

Champagne Jello Shots

Directions

STEP 1

Slice and dice the strawberries. Fill half a 32-ounce mason jar with strawberry cubes and pour the whole bottle of Champagne over top. Place in the fridge and soak for 8 hours, or overnight. 

STEP 2

Separate the strawberries from the Champagne by straining through a fine mesh sieve. Reserve ¼ cup Champagne-infused strawberries and 2 cups strawberry-infused Champagne for jello shots (obviously, save whatever is left back for over-the-top boozy mimosas). 

STEP 3

In a small mixing bowl, combine simple syrup, rum, and gelatin together. Mix with a fork until the gelatin has softened.

STEP 4

In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring the strawberry-infused Champagne to a simmer. Watch it closely, and do not boil or else it’ll foam over quickly.

STEP 5

Remove Champagne from the heat and slowly stir into the gelatin mixture. Let cool for 5 minutes.

STEP 6

Stir in rose petals and Champagne-infused strawberries.

STEP 7

Evenly pour the Champagne gelatin into two silicone cube ice trays, a 8x8 glass baking dish, or a few shot glasses—your choice. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until set, at least 4 hours or overnight.

STEP 8

Serve and get the party started early o’clock.

Black Pepper Strawberries-and-Cream Gelly Shots Recipe

Juicy strawberries and a hint of black pepper are already a winning combination, but add vodka and vanilla cream and you've got the best shooters your party could ask for. If you have trouble finding strawberry liqueur, substitute Chambord (raspberry liqueur, readily available in many package stores).

Candy Corn Jello Shots Are the Ultimate Way to Start Halloween Recipe

We’re all for starting off Halloween with a bang—but instead of diving headfirst into the candy bowl at 11 am, why not get things going with a Champagne-based Jello shot that looks like a candy corn? These champagne and orange juice candy corn Jello shots are essentially a jiggly mimosa, bringing a classy edge to what could ultimately become a pretty rowdy monster bash. 

Boil Champagne and unflavored gelatin together, whisking until combined. Create the white layer of the candy cane Jello shots by mixing sweetened condensed milk into the Champagne gelatin. Pour the mixture into clear shot classes, then chill. The orange layer of the shots comes from sweet orange juice and a dash of orange food coloring mixed into the champagne gelatin for vibrancy. Pour the orange layer over the now-set white layer and chill once more. For the final layer of the candy corn Jello shot, make another batch of the second layer, but swap the orange food coloring for yellow. Cheers!

Candy Corn Jello Shots

Basic Jello Shots Recipe

You may be tempted to use straight vodka, but don't! By using flavored vodka instead of regular, you can create delicious flavors that actually make Jello Shots taste good! Imagine that.

Suggested flavor pairings:

Strawberry-lemonade: Strawberry gelatin with lemon-flavored vodka

Very Berry: Cherry gelatin with berry-flavored vodka

Limeade: Lime gelatin with watermelon-flavored vodka

Lemon Berry Blue: Berry blue gelatin with lemon-flavored vodka

Looking for more inspiration? Check out 20 Cheap Drinks to Make at Home next. 

Strawberry Margarita Jell-O Shots Recipe

Get your next party started with a round of boozy Jell-O shots. As our most popular shot to date, you not only get the fun of a jelly shot, but also the spiked strawberry that holds the shot is edible making cleanup a breeze. Cheers to that!

Cucumber-Sake Gelly Shots  Recipe

These are the herbaceous, slurpable shooters your party needs. You don't need a juicer to make fresh cucumber juice. Instead, puree 2 large cucumbers in a blender until smooth, then strain through a fine mesh sieve. 

Rangpur Lime Shooters Recipe

Time: 20 minutes, plus at least 2 hours to chill. Think of these shooters as a really, really good margarita you can pick up with your fingers (or a spoon). Just make them for your next party, and watch your guests' eyes light up. They're from Cal Stamenov, chef at Marinus restaurant at Bernardus Lodge, in Carmel Valley, California. Stamenov also likes to play with other flavor combinations, like Meyer lemon juice with vodka instead of tequila.