Jelly shots as colorful as the Mardi Gras flag. Pretty cool, huh?
I’ve never really been the type of gal who takes shots. I realize the irony in this as I just showed you these Oyster Shots.
And yes, these King Cake Jelly Shots are completely insane and ridiculous. But uh, isn’t Mardi Gras completely insane and ridiculous? Yes. Yes, it is.
What’s King Cake?
Do you know the tradition behind the king cake? I just learned this. Apparently, it’s served as a celebration during the carnival season, which is Epiphany (typically Jan 6th) through Fat Tuesday (February 21st).
And get this. A tiny plastic baby (representing baby Jesus. No, I’m serious.) is INSIDE the cake, and whoever gets the slice with the baby in it has to make the cake the next year. But, he or she is also granted privileges and powers like magical Leprechaun tales.
THESE THINGS HAPPEN AT MARDI GRAS.
So, instead of cake, I went with cake vodka (my new boyfriend) and condensed milk (my new husband) and went the shot route!
Oh, and instead of a baby (sorry, but that’d be weird to stick a baby in a shot), I stuck a fruit Gusher in one. It was better for my mental health.
Mardi Gras!
Rim the Shot Glasses
First, add 3 colors to the shot glasses like the topping on a real King Cake. Dip the glass rims in a tub of Betty Crocker vanilla frosting.
Then, dip a third of the frosted rim into green sugar sprinkles, a third into yellow, and a third into purple.
And look at that! King Cake rimmers!
Make the Shots
Gather your goods. Lemonade, unflavored gelatin powder, cake vodka, condensed milk, Gushers and some colorful sprinkles.
You just need one Gusher for the recipe. The rest are to pop into your mouth when you’re not busy pouring the condensed milk down your throat. Oh, whoa. What? I totally didn’t do that.
Add the unflavored gelatin to the lemonade. Heat it until the gelatin is all dissolved, about 5 minutes.
Take it off the heat and add the cake-flavored vodka and condensed milk. Whisk until combined. Pour THAT mixture into 3 bowls and color them green, yellow and purple.
Using a turkey baster (if you have one!) or a spoon to add one tablespoon of purple gelatin to each shot glass. Stick in the fridge for 20 minutes.
After it’s set, a layer of edible silver glitter adds the bling!
Then add a tablespoon of yellow gelatin over the glitter. But before you stick it back in the fridge, don’t forget…
The Gusher baby thingy! Drop it into the yellow layer so that it disappears into the shot. THEN refrigerate them again for 20 minutes.
Repeat with another layer of silver glitter and the last green layer. Stick in the fridge aaaand…
Party-ready SHOTS!
Variations
Go all out with whipped cream and sparkles like they’re pictured at the top, or make ‘em much simpler and easier if you want!
Like this, without the whipped cream topping OR the silver glitter layers:
Or like this, with just the gelatin layers — no rimmers, glitter or toppings — still gorgeous with just a couple purple candy pearls on top!
It’s up to you!
Now, who’s gonna get the baby Gusher……?
I actually wouldn’t mind a leprechaun tale.
*Bev realizes a lizardy leprechaun tale might not be the best look on her. For more musings, visit her blog Bev Cooks and her Tablespoon profile.
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