Strawberry Shortcake Jello Shots

As promised, weekend celebrations brought about the creation of an epic cocktail for my best friend, Kathryn's 22nd birthday! In the past, I have always made her a decadent cake for her birthday such as dark chocolate cake with caramel chocolate ganache, whipped caramel cream cheese icing, and dark chocolate shavings. However, these cakes pack lots of calories with their flavor. So, in an effort to be healthy and stick to our diet resolutions, it was decided that we would somehow combine pre-gaming and cake. The solution- strawberry jello shots with cake vodka!

To start out, begin by boiling a little over 4 cups of water. You will need 4 cups for the jello and some will boil off.

Next, we'll move on to the alcoholic part of the jello. I chose to use 3 Olives Cake. It was on sale, which is always a plus, and the bottle is so pretty. Of course, 3 Olives is a great brand and their flavored vodkas have always been top notch in my book. Pinnacle and UV also make cake flavored vodka if you want to comparison shop. This vodka is the most delicious smelling and tasting stuff I have ever come across! It's literally like butter cake mix! Incredible! I definitely foresee many other cocktails utilizing this liquor in my near future. Cake vodka and cream soda, perhaps?

Combine, 3 cups vodka with 1/4 cup cold water and place in the fridge or freezer. Optimally, do this and hour ahead of time to allow it to fully chill. Alcohol has a lower boiling temperature than water. Thoroughly chilling allows us to add the vodka to the hot jello mixture without it losing any potency. AKA this step is super important! A 750 mL bottle will allow for all 3 cups plus enough leftover over for 2-3 celebratory shots!

Back to our Jello component! Once the water boils, add in 2, 6 oz packets of strawberry Jello stirring thoroughly until fully dissolved. I used the sugar free just to make it healthier. Allow it to cool until no longer steaming. This also helps keep the vodka's alcohol from cooking off. You may choose to do this in a separate bowl rather than your pot. You should ensure that you choose a vessel that is large enough to hold another 4 cups of liquid. Also note that the red pigment of this Jello is so intense that it may stain white or clear bowls and even counter tops with extended exposure to the jello. This is especially true of junky laminate counter tops- aka the stuff found in 99.9 % of college apartments. This actually happened at my old apartment with black cherry kool-aid. No worries- the Mr. Clean magic eraser or eye make-up remover will take this stuff (or almost any stain) off counters.

 While waiting for the Jello mix to cool, I laid out all my cups for the Jellos shots. I used 2 oz mini portion cups. They are sold in packs of 50 with the lids included. I got mine at Wal-Mart. Just click here and then check your store availability. They are located in the grocery sections near the solo cups. Depending on the size of your shots, this recipe will make 50-70 shots. To make it easier, lay cups out on cookies sheets if you have them. This not only makes putting the shots in the fridge simpler but it also makes it easier to clean up if one of the cups spills. Now here's my simple but brilliant tip- spray the cups with cooking spray. It adds no flavor and, if you use the right kind, no calories but allows for optimal jello extraction with ease. Pure genius.

Now, fill all of these cups and top with a lid. The easiest way to fill the cups, in my opinion, is by using one of the cups to scoop the liquid into the other cups, but this may just be because of my restaurant experience in cupping dressings. Obviously, if you want more jello shots then fill the cups less full. If quantity isn't what you're going for then fill those babies on up. I did mine about 3/4 full and wound up with 63 after spilling one. Put the trays in the fridge and allow to chill about 2-3 hours until jello sets.

Sadly, I have to move on to the disappointing part. I was super excited to make these jello shots into a true strawberry shortcake with the addition of Whipped Lightning- alcohol infused whipped cream. I first began to worry in the ABC store when I read that this product should not be refrigerated. This stuff is also 18.25% alcohol and, while this in ways is fantastic, keep in mind that Hypnotiq is a mere 17% alcohol. I began to worry a little more that the grain alcohol in this stuff would trump any others fancy flavors. Pushing my concern to the side, I settled on the Strawberry Love Whipahol flavor. It is described as tasting like french vanilla and strawberries. The description goes on to say, " We're not saying it's the best thing since happy hour but it sure comes close." This tequila-swigging blogger knows happy hour and, let me just say, this stuff by no means comes close to the epic nature of this sacred time period of dollar shots, $3 long islands, half price margaritas, and five buck pitchers. After attempting celebratory "we just made so many delicious jello shots" shots, I promptly spit out the nasty stuff and desperately searched for anything to drink to kill the flavor. It is not sweet at all and really doesn't taste like strawberry or vanilla- only like grain alcohol, as I feared. I am seriously beginning to question the taste buds of my friends who have tried and love the stuff! Trust me, stick with the real, sadly un-alcoholic, deal! Your taste buds will thank you!

Above, Carrington, Cristin (sadly allergic to red food dye but she did have one!), the birthday girl Kathryn, me, and Rachel toasting with the strawberry shortcake shots! These were seriously delicious with just enough alcohol taste to remind you that these shots pack a punch. They were a hit with everyone including the shot adverse birthday girl! Stay tuned for spring game shenanigans in the future when I will again blog about jello shots with the recipe orange and maroon layered jello shots made with whipped vodka and triple sec! Stay hungry (and thirsty!) my friends!