The Unofficial Start of Summer + Jello Shots = …
So… It’s Memorial Day weekend, New England seems to have finally climbed out of one lengthy winter (side note: I, a Californian born and raised, survived my first East Coast winter!!), and my wife not only defended her doctoral dissertation but she also turned 30! Needless to say, we definitely have a lot to celebrate! So naturally, we’re making jello shots. Ok so jello shots may have graced the menu of my 20-something college days more so than these days, but when my wife asked for jello shots for her birthday weekend away from our now 2 year old, I most certainly wanted to deliver. But these are not your normal jello shots. We are classy 30 year old moms now, of course. So in honor of summer, the long weekend, my doctor-wife, and her 30th birthday, here is my recipe for one delicious jello shot.
Mojito Jello Shots
Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup lime spiked seltzer or plain lime seltzer
- 3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup lime juice
- 10 limes
- 1 cup white rum
- 1 cup fresh mint plus 5-6 leaves finely chopped
Cut the limes in half and hollow out the inside, squeezing the juice into a measuring cup to make 1 cup (reserve leftover in freezer for later use). Set the hollowed out limes in a muffin tin for stability.
In a small saucepan, cook the water with the sugar over moderate heat until the sugar dissolves, about 4 minutes. Sprinkle the gelatin over the syrup and whisk over low heat until the gelatin has dissolved, about 1 minute.
Put the lime juice, spiked seltzer, and mint leaves in a medium bowl and pour in the sugar syrup. Let steep for 15 minutes. Stir in the rum. Strain the mojito mixture into a large measuring cup. Mix in the finely chopped mint and pour into the prepared lime halves.