I hope I’ve got this right and it’s in the right place, Allee asked me to post this in here so I’ve just signed up. My name is Dion, I’m in a town just outside of Manchester UK. This is a recipe of sorts, but I’m aware there are some name and product differences here between UK and US so I’ll try my best, firstly, we don’t have ‘jello’, we have ‘jelly’. Jelly is the finished product as well as the product you buy to make one over here, so, I would go to the supermarket to buy an orange jelly to ‘make’ an orange jelly (complicated I know) now our ‘jelly’ comes in a packet and is in large squares which in effect resemble the finished product but VERY firm, I don’t know if you have that type over there as the only American ‘jello’ I’ve seen has been like crystals resembling coloured sugar. Anyway, ours you mix with an amount of boiling water to dissolve then add cold water to make up the quantity, then refrigerate. So, the above should help if my description doesn’t sound familiar.
To Make Vodka Jelly (jello’s)
I have found some experimentation is needed here, and obviously because our products are different than yours, you to will have to experiment. Remember that alcohol evaporates when heated, so you need to add your vodka at as late a stage as possible or the outcome will be pointless, add the vodka and mix in when the liquid is nice and cool but before it starts to set. Now i’ve also found that there’s some reaction with alcohol and the gelling agent in jelly that retards the setting process, it doesn’t set as firm. So, make your gello a lot more concentrated than usual, I suggest twice as much product to the quantity of water, the reason is also twofold, firstly it makes it the correct ‘firmness’ but also, jelly is a rather delicate flavour, you really want to concentrate that flavour a little more to make it more of a good vodka mixer, I also suggest replacing some of the water with maybe a concentrated fruit juice, and even adding fruit, perhaps soaking the fruit in some fruit juice with the vodka for a period before adding it to the jello(jelly) making something of an alcoholic jello punch! serving is a matter of choice, you could either make these as individual single portions or make one large one in a punch bowl. Experimentation really is the key with this and make a note of quantities, they add a great novelty value to parties and are actually very pleasant to consume!
Just to complicate things, I believe what you call ‘jelly’ is what we call ‘jam’. jam is something made with fruit and is thick and you have it with peanut butter on sandwiches.
Allee Willis
Well, an A for effort to Dion for contributing an excellent party recipe should any of us Americans actually be able to figure it out. I’m in favor of everything at parties being distinctive so guests leaving having had an experience they’ve never had before, especially via a massive Jell-O mold replacing the traditional punch bowl as the source of guests acquiring better and more party-like personalities, is very appealing to me.
If one is going to have a liquor spiked punch vodka is always a safe bet. Adding Jell-O into the mix can only lead to higher excellence. I would, of course, start experimenting with Jell-o colors as multi-color anything is more entertaining than one solid color.
Dion
LOL, wait till I get onto trifle Allee ;o)
jack
These are popular here too. We call them Jell-O shooters. I really want to know why it took so long for somebody to think of it though. Jell-O and vodka have been around a long time.
Dion
They are available as a commercial product in a few countries, but that’s just what they are, commercial, there is a LOT of scope available for an easily made much better quality product. Plus, have you seen the price of the commercial ones!