What’s the Best Blue Jell-O Shot?
We couldn't make a good tasting blue jell-o shot, and admitted it in our article the Best Tasting Jell-O Shot, You, our loyal readers, have come to rescue with countless tips and suggestions. We've put them to the test, creating some of the best blue-colored food we've EVER tasted. In the process, we realized our Independence Day dream of creating a Star-Spangled Jell-O Shot.
A Study in Blue
When it comes to the fine art of Jell-O shot mixology, the highest goal is to create a blend of liquor and flavored gelatin that transcends the sum of its ingredients. We found Jell-O’s Berry Blue flavor particularly challenging in this respect. Like most blue-colored foods, it has a flavor not found in nature. The box features images of blueberries and raspberries, but in reality it doesn’t taste like either (Jell-O does make a raspberry flavor and it’s distinctly different). Instead, Berry Blue is sort of a generic berry flavor with notes of grape and bubble gum and a slightly bitter finish. Not the easiest taste to complement. After a few failed attempts, we couldn’t offer any suggestions other than vodka.
Readers to the Rescue!
Fortunately, many of our dedicated readers shared the results of their own field research into the uncharted seas of azure Jell-O. For practical reasons, we were unable to test all of these suggestions ourselves. However, we selected several liquors, including those most frequently mentioned, and attempted to replicate the results in our test lab. Our findings confirm that some of these combinations are indisputably delicious, forcing us to revise our previous conclusion that Berry Blue Jell-O is unredeemable. Thank you to all those who participated in this invaluable research and contributed to the collective knowledge base of Jell-O shot studies.
For those who want to get right down to mixing, here’s a short list of standouts:
- DeKuyper’s Island Blue Pucker
- Blue Curacao
- Captain Morgan Parrot Bay coconut rum
- Amaretto
- DeKuyper’s Raspberry Pucker
- Sour Apple Schnapps
For a more detailed breakdown of the results, plus recipes, read on.
To make these Jell-O shots, first dissolve the Jell-O completely in the boiling water, let cool to room temperature, then add the specified liquor or liquor blend. Pour into portion cups and chill until firm.
We Got the Blues
Not surprisingly, we got suggestions for just about every blue liquor in existence. While this makes sense intuitively, it’s not a given that matching the color of the liquor to the color of the Jell-O will result in a compatible mix. However, when it comes to blue, apparently you’re in luck more often than not.
Island Blue Pucker – This tropical blue liqueur was by far the most frequently suggested mate for Berry Blue Jell-O – and rightfully so, we discovered. Its lively Hawaiian Punch flavor blended well with the berry, while its tartness kept the combination from being cloying.
3 oz. package Berry Blue Jell-O
8 oz. (1 cup) boiling water
8 oz. (1 cup) Island Blue Pucker
Blue Curacao – We were initially suspect of this “bitter orange” liqueur that’s usually slipped into cocktails not so much for its taste as for its vivid blue hue. And it did nicely highlight the Jell-O’s color, turning it a striking dark sapphire, so it gets points for presentation. The flavor was excellent, with the orange adding zest to the berry. There’s still a little bitterness at the end, but the extra sugar takes the sting out.
3 oz. package Berry Blue Jell-O
8 oz. (1 cup) boiling water
6 oz. (3/4 cup) Blue Curacao
2oz. (1/4 cup) Vodka or cold water
Hypnotiq – Sacre bleu! This aqua-colored liqueur from France comes in a fancy bottle and touts itself as a blend of “vodka, tropical fruit juices, and cognac.” Without knowing the ingredients, it’s hard put a finger on it, but one of the liqueur’s flavors (passion fruit maybe) was a little too prominent, and the shot was bit astringent and on the sour side for our taste. Hypnotiq might be good if mixed with another liqueur to balance it out. If you want to class up your Jell-O shots, go for it, but there are cheaper alternatives.
Go Coconuts
Coconut flavored rum was another standout, with a smooth flavor that mellowed out the bitter edge of the berry flavor. We tried Captain Morgan’s Parrot Bay rum and were pleased with its strong coconut flavor.
3 oz. package Berry Blue Jell-O
8 oz. (1 cup) boiling water
8 oz. (1 cup) Captain Morgan Parrot Bay coconut rum
Amaretto – This was a surprise winner. The almond/cherry flavor of the amaretto flavor pretty much overwhelms the berry flavor of the Jell-O, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing. Amaretto is usually too sweet to be used straight, so it should be diluted with water or, if you want to keep it potent, vodka. The caramel color of the liqueur turned the Jell-O a dark sea-green shade.
3 oz. package Berry Blue Jell-O
8 oz. (1 cup) boiling water
6 oz. (3/4 cup) Amaretto
2oz. (1/4 cup) Vodka or cold water
Oh Schnapps!
Various sorts of schnapps were another popular suggestion. Most people recommended berry flavored liqueurs, but a couple of the suggestions (menthol schnapps and cinnamon schnapps) were off the beaten path. We took the more traditional and pedestrian route and tested some raspberry schnapps.
Raspberry Pucker - The raspberry liqueur that we chose turned the Jell-O a grape jelly purple, which could be considered a liability. After all, half the fun of blue Jell-O is that it’s blue. The “Pucker” line of liqueurs taste something like fruit-flavored sweet and sour mix. This effectively neutralized the bubble-gum flavor of the Jell-O, and produced a tart shot with a pleasant raspberry flavor. Your mileage may vary with other berry liqueurs, but this one was worthwhile.
3 oz. package Berry Blue Jell-O
8 oz. (1 cup) boiling water
8 oz. (1 cup) Raspberry Pucker or other raspberry liqueur
While we were at it, we revisited a couple of fruit schnapps we used for our previous recipes, to see if we might have overlooked any viable possibilities.
Peach Schnapps - We previously touted this as a practically universal Jell-O shot mixer, and it was in fact a decent blend with the blue. Not a first choice, but it would definitely work in a pinch.
Sour Apple Schnapps - This one far exceeded our modest expectations, completely transforming the berry flavor into something like melon. An unlikely winner, this was one of our favorites.
3 oz. package Berry Blue Jell-O
8 oz. (1 cup) boiling water
8 oz. (1 cup) sour apple schnapps
Less Added Sugar
Of the suggestions we received, liqueurs outnumbered unsweetened liquors by about 2 to 1. Generally, the extra sugar helped the flavor more than not, but if you prefer a less syrupy Jell-O shot, here are some alternatives that aren’t so sugar saturated.
Lemon Vodka - This crisp shot is a refreshing palate cleanser, with a tart citrus tang that complements the berry flavor and balances the Jell-O’s sweetness. It’s slightly astringent, but has a clean finish.
3 oz. package Berry Blue Jell-O
8 oz. (1 cup) boiling water
8 oz. (1 cup) Absolut Citron or other lemon-flavored vodka
Vanilla Vodka - Similar to the coconut rum, the vanilla smooths out the berry’s bitter edge and works the bubble gum aspect in its favor. This shot is flavorful without being overly sweet. The vanilla flavor treads close to cream-soda territory, though, so unless you enjoy that, you may want to exchange part of the liquor for water or plain vodka.
3 oz. package Berry Blue Jell-O
8 oz. (1 cup) boiling water
8 oz. (1 cup) Smirnoff Vanilla Twist or other vanilla-flavored vodka
Blueberry Vodka - This seems like a no-brainer, but we thought the blueberry flavor pushed the bi-berry ambiguity of the Jell-O in the wrong direction. Unlike the raspberry liqueur, it accented the bitterness. We would suggest raspberry flavored vodka instead.
Southern Comfort - This greenish hued shot passed muster, but it wouldn’t be our first pick. The liquor gives it a pleasant spiciness, but it also has a slightly medicinal taste.
The Star-Spangled Jell-O Shot
With an abundance of blue Jell-O on hand, we took the opportunity to whip up a patriotic treat for the Fourth of July holiday.
Directions
Dissolve one 3 oz. package Raspberry Jell-O in one cup boiling water. Let cool to room temperature and add 1 cup Raspberry Pucker. Pour into portion cups, filling only the bottom third. Chill in refrigerator a few hours or till firm.
After the Jell-O layer has set completely, spread with a layer of Cool Whip whipped topping, so the portion cup is two-thirds filled. Level the top of this layer as much as possible so you won’t have peaks sticking through the next layer. Return Jell-O cups to refrigerator.
Dissolve one 3 oz. package Berry Blue Jell-O in one cup boiling water. Let cool to room temperature and add 3/4 cup Blue Curacao and ¼ cup water or vodka. Pour mixture over Cool Whip layer to fill the portion cups. Chill in refrigerator about 30 minutes, or until the surface of the Jell-O is firm but still tacky.
Decorate tops with mini marshmallows (whole or cut into smaller bits). Return to refrigerator and chill one hour or more before serving. These are best served within 24 hours after the marshmallows are added, as they will begin to melt into the Jell-O.
Down the Hatch
As an addendum, a few readers noted that one of the merits of Berry Blue Jell-O was its ability to mask the nasty bite of cheap vodka or Everclear grain alcohol. We found that it does work better for this purpose than more standard flavors such as lime and cherry. Blue shots made with cheap booze will still burn on the way down, but they won’t taste like cough syrup.
On that note, we’d like to remind you to always consume Jell-O shots responsibly, and keep those suggestions and recipes coming.
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