Jager Bomb with a Hammer

This was a trick I decided to adapt for a small party I was throwing. These days, every cocktail enthusiast and their grandfather has a spherical ice mold. I saw a trend for hollowing them out and serving a cocktail inside the ice sphere. I just did my own variation.

You only need a little equipment for this. You'll need a freezer, naturally. You'll also need a heat source and a metal point to heat, though a soldering iron does the job brilliantly, provided it's clean. You'll also need a small funnel, though a syringe or meat injector works a bit faster, and when dealing with ice, speed is critical. Lastly, you'll need a spherical ice ball mold that you can flip upside down and remain stable. I prefer the style pictured. The only other things required are the liquids, Jagermeister, and Red Bull. 

The basic premise is that ice freezes from the outside in. The trick is just stopping it before it freezes too much. Fill your ice ball mold with water, add the top half, and put it in the freezer. After an hour and a half, flip the mold over. This allows the ball to freeze evenly as different parts of the freezers have different temperatures. Also, any air bubbles and impurities would float or sink, throwing off the thermal conductivity. Otherwise, slices of the ball would be fragile and others very thick. After another hour and a half, remove the partially frozen ice ball. Bear in mind that these times are relative to what I find to be the average home freezer. You may need to extend the time.

Rinse the outside of the mold with warm water, not hot, or you may crack the ice. Now, we need to hollow out the mold. Heat an ice pick or use a soldering iron to poke a hole in the top of the ice ball. Draining can be a tricky part. You can flip the ball over and drain it out, but it will take ages because of the lack of airflow. Using a meat injector seems to be the fastest way of sucking out most of the liquid. You can also use a straw and blow sharply into the ball to eject a good portion of the ball's water while it's upside down to drain it much faster. However, this technique isn't suited to a bar environment. 

Next, using a funnel or the meat injector, fill the ball with Jagermeister. Plug the hole with something that allows the ball to stay upright. A cherry with a pick through it works well, as could a coiled citrus twist. Add the ball to a large rocks glass and fill the glass with Red Bull. Serve with a small hammer to let the guest smash the ball open.

Strawberry Margarita Jell-O Shots

Here's another one of my quarantine Jell-O shot recipes. It does balance the quality of craft cocktails with the fun, levity, and nostalgia of Jell-O. It's super easy to make and makes a huge difference. I'm never going back in terms of my own creations. Fresh juice and quality spirits always beat out vodka and powder. 

6 oz Jose Cuervo Tradicional Tequila Plata

2 oz Fresh Lime Juice, strained

1 oz Orange Curacao, Pierre Ferrand

1 pack Strawberry Jell-O

8 oz Water

Boil water and add the pack of Jell-O. Stir until dissolved and uniform. Add the remaining ingredients and stir again. Pour into serving cups. 15 to 18 should give you decent portion sizes. Chill in the fridge overnight or until set.

Jell-O has quite a bit of sugar and sweetness, so I tend not to add sugar to Jell-O shots. Acid from fresh juice does really help bring out the potential of Jell-O shot cocktails. It's still classic fun but way more elevated than you got in college. 

Philadelphia Fish House Punch Jell-O Shots

So, during quarantine, I found myself missing the dive bars most of all. I can make all kinds of craft cocktails at home and have been doing much of that. Friends are sharing their recipes, and it's fun trying these fantastic ideas, but the atmosphere is what I miss. I miss the silliness, the laughs, the community, everything. My regular bar, Garage Bar North, always had Jell-O shots made up behind the bar. I'd probably have an average of at least one a week. That and Pickle Backs. I decided to make some Jell-O shots at home. Yes, there's the standard spec of a pack of Jell-O with half water and half vodka, but let's improve on that. 

3.5 oz Plantation O.F.T.D. Rum

2.5 oz Remy Martin VSOP Cognac

2 oz Fresh Lemon Juice, strained

0.25 oz Simple Syrup (1:1)

1 pack Peach Jell-O

8 oz Water

Boil water and add the pack of Jell-O. Stir until dissolved and uniform. Add the remaining ingredients and stir again. Pour into serving cups. Chill in the fridge overnight. My baking tray holds 15 2 oz cups perfectly, so that's how I divide it, at just a bit over 1 oz per shot. Feel free to divide and scale it however you like, but about 1 oz is suitable for a Jell-O shot. 

This really is a pretty good representation of the classic punch recipe. The cocktail typically had peach brandy and crushed ice. I upped the ratio of brandy to accommodate, and the peach flavor from the Jell-O is an adequate substitute. Like the ice dilution, the water used to dissolve the gelatin powder helps soften the drink. This drink still uses 69% ABV rum (excellent), so it's got a fun little kick in there for you. 

Jell-O shots should taste like Jell-O and not just be a drink given consistency from gelatin sheets. Plenty of experts and chefs might disagree. But I've had calvados gelee and the like at some great restaurants as a side to a dessert, which is good, but I'd never order a cube of that when I'm bellied up to the bar. Jell-O shots are fun and fake, nostalgic and silly. They can be delicious, too, but they must be kind of fake to give the guests what they want when ordering a Jell-O shot. Just an opinion.

Next Level Jell-O Shots

Hey all, most of us love jello shots or have loved jello shots. This post assumes you've at least had a crack at making them in the past. You've probably learned that using pure vodka in place of the water creates a mushy unappetizing shot and that it should be split fifty-fifty with water. You've probably also learned that other spirits work amazingly well in a jello shot. Tequila, triple sec, and lime jello are a natural blend. You might also know that some jello mixes work great with milk for a creamier hold and a less transparent color. Most jello brand products work well together, but some more advanced recipes will use straight unflavored gelatin. These are some tricks that you may not have thought of in your typical playing around. 

Glow-in-the-Dark Jello Shots

This was probably this first real jello shot trick I learned. For the record, these do not glow in the dark like those stickers on your childhood bedroom ceiling. They glow under blacklight, like the poster in your college dorm room. I had made jello shots before, in college, but the first time I decided to dig into what other people were doing I found this little trick. The trick is to simply incorporate a luminous nontoxic chemical into the mix. The best one I find used is Quinine, commonly found in tonic water. Many people opt for a normal mixture of 1 part boiling water to 1 part spirit to make the flavor of the jello more palatable. Simply replace the water with flat boiling tonic water, and you'll have a great treat for your next blacklight party. 

Molded Jello Shots

When you were first introduced to jello as a kid, you probably made Jello Jigglers. Pouring jello into any container will allow it to set into that shape. Many people will use cookie cutters as fun shapes for kids. Occasionally, depending on the material of the mold you may need to spray it with some cooking spray to allow it to be removed easily. For Halloween, you can buy brain-shaped molds so that kids can poke and eat a bit of a jiggly brain. Switch that to include some rum and you have yourself an adult treat. I've seen other tricks done in this manner. Add a bit more powdered gelatin and you can keep it firmer once it hardens. You can use popsicle molds provided the mix is firm enough. The same trick applies to the novelty ice cube trays. you can have shot glasses made of jello and even penis shaped gelatin. This Video might be the greatest idea I've ever seen that I could apply to a boozy drink.

A spin on this that has been really erupting is the idea of jello shots in fruit. cut an orange in half and cut out all the meat without puncturing the skin and you have a handy cup. Once the jello hardens you can even slice the orange and be reminded of grade school soccer practice. You can do this with limes, as well. If you add extra gelatin powder, you can use this trick on watermelon and slice it to create great big slices of jello, great for picnics so long as it doesn't get too hot. I've even seen strawberries used. Take the stem out and hollow out as much as you can to form little cups. I recommend cutting a bit of the tip-off so it doesn't wobble when you put it in the fridge to cool. 

Layered Jello Shots

This is actually the easiest trick I've ever heard. Make a batch of jello, pour it into a tall enough vessel, chill it. Make another, different batch, pour that over the old batch and continue the cycle. This trick is even easier than making a pousse cafe, as you're just pouring liquid over a solid. Don't let the layers chill for too long otherwise they won't bond together and when you remove them they may tear apart at the seams. Some flavors, of course, blend better than others. If you are using the type of mixture that uses milk to be careful with your flavor pairings. An orange creamsicle works great. but some liqueur flavors don't play well. You can make rainbow layers, or go patriotic and recreate your favorite flag. 

One of the most advanced tricks in this is the Jello Shot Cake. In a bundt cake pan build your layers of jello upside down. One of the most popular recipes for this uses a bit of yogurt in between the clear gelatin layers to create a beautiful visual presentation. It's truly beautiful to see executed properly. It takes some work to have the layers look uniform. It also takes many hours to ensure the right consistency and that it doesn't tear or fall apart. Everyone always feels so guilty making the first cut into this masterpiece. Make sure you make clean slices and don't shred the thing. This picture shows a twelve layer cake, but you should feel free to start smaller. 

Jello Shots with Mix-Ins

There's so much more to a gelatin dessert than just gelatin. I remember in the fourth ever episode of The Simpsons, Marge makes a gelatin dessert chock full of marshmallows. If you saw The Office, You'll remember the stapler in the jello. Simply put in your fruit or candies into the mold and pour the jello over it. To create a layered effect, pour a layer of jello, let it harden a bit, and then place the snacks inside. If it's still soft enough you can shove some snacks into the hardened jello. This makes creating scenes of Swedish Fish swimming in a fishbowl much easier than doing dozens of layers of the same mix. One trick I see all over the place is using a cherry, namely, using the cherry stem to act as a sort of handle. This allows for a great party favor that doesn't require utensils and doesn't get your guests' hands sticky. 

“Whoever said nothing is impossible obviously hasn't tried nailing Jell-O to a tree.”

- John Candy

Photo Credit: Wikimedia, pixabay

#013 Weedle

This is a part of an ongoing project I'm working on to make a Pokemon cocktails for each and every Pokemon. I'm starting with just generation one and we'll see how the response is. 151 drinks is a tall order, but people have done crazier things. If I succeed I will most likely publish an eBook or possibly hard copy collections of each drink. Give them a try and let me know what you think. 

1 1/4 oz. Mezcal

1/2 oz. Blood Orange Liqueur

1/4 oz. Honey Syrup

Gusano

Add all the ingredients to a mixing tin. Shake well with ice. Double strain into a shooter glass. Garnish with the worm from a mescal bottle if possible. A thin lemon twist can also work. 

For this cocktail I knew I wanted to use mezcal. The little worm in the bottle looks just like a Weedle. Well, technically it's a caterpillar of a moth but it just matches up so well. Weedle turns into a cocoon and then evolves again, strangely enough into a bee, but the theory is there. The use of honey does naturally take inspiration from Weedle's final evolution (not counting the mega). I knew I'd wind up going with a sort of margarita vibe in the later iterations so I opted for one of my favorite liqueurs, Solerno, a blood orange liqueur. This shot does pack quite a punch alcohol-wise. But the flavor does very well. A sweet smokey earthy flavor makes for a very fun shot or cocktail.

"Weedle. The stinger on this Pokémon's head guarantees that any attacker will get the point right where it hurts."

Kakuna -->

<-- Butterfree

Recommended Brands: Ilegal Reposado, Solerno

#001 Bulbasaur

This is a part of an ongoing project I'm working on to make a Pokemon cocktails for each and every Pokemon. I'm starting with just generation one and we'll see how the response is. 151 drinks is a tall order, but people have done crazier things. If I succeed I will most likely publish an eBook or possibly hard copy collections of each drink. Give them a try and let me know what you think. 


1 oz. Applejack
1/2 oz. Melon Liqueur
1/4 oz. Lime Juice
1/4 oz. Blue Curacao
1 dash of simple syrup (~1/8 oz.)

Add all the ingredients to a tin and shake with ice. Double strain into a shooter glass to get out any pulp, or two shot glasses if you feel like sharing.

This cocktail is a simplified version of the Ivysaur. It bares many similarities to the Jack Rose on a smaller scale. The Jack Rose would use grenadine instead of Midori and blue curacao. If you use rose's lime juice you can omit the simple syrup to avoid making the drink too sweet. It actually took a bit of tinkering to figure out which ingredients to maintain. The choice of a base spirit was a difficult one, but I think a fruit based brandy actually fits the drink very well. Using a vodka or rum did cross my mind but what else would you use for a grass type but something fruit based.

"Bulbasaur. It bears the seed of a plant on its back from birth. The seed slowly develops. Researchers are unsure whether to classify Bulbasaur as a plant or animal. Bulbasaur are extremely calm and very difficult to capture in the wild."

Ivysaur -->

Recommended Brands: Laird's, Midori, Bols

April Fools: Weird Joke Shots

These shots are not meant to be taken by you, okay. They are meant to be served to your stupid friends. That said, everybody has their own tastes. Once in a while you may just get a taste for a whole raw egg in your drink.

Cement Mixer
1 shot Bailey's, 1 shot rose's lime juice

Pour the shots into two separate glasses

This shot is like a baking soda vinegar volcano from grade school, except in your mouth. The cream base of baileys reacts poorly to the citrus of the lime juice. The way you drink this shot is to drink one shot but hold it in your mouth and then take the second shot. You swish the two together in your mouth. As they mix, they curdle. It turns chunky in your mouth and tastes of spoiled milk. Most people will just spit this right out if they're not sure what to expect. 

Prairie Oyster
1 1/2 oz bourbon, 1 egg, 1 dash Tobasco

Pour the bourbon into a rocks glass without ice. Crack the egg into the glass. Add a dash or two of Tabasco. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper for good measure.

This is a pretty weird one. There are many variants to this as well. Some don't use and liquor and others add Worcestershire sauce. A prairie oyster was slang for a fried bull testicle. This still exists on some menus as an appetizer. Raw egg bothers some people, others are fine with it. Many people will actually take this shot as a hangover cure.

Soy Sauce

1 part Jagermeister, 1 part Everclear or devils springs 

Swirl the ingredients in a tin with ice, strain into a shot or rocks glass. Or serve it in a novelty syringe

This was created by a dear friend of mine Shane. This really is not a shot for the faint of heart. It is crazy high proof and if you don't like Jager, you're screwed. Shane made this as a combination of two of his favorite things and we named it out of a reference to one of his and now my favorite books, John Dies at the End. In JDatE, there is a drug called the sauce. whose effects aren't entirely known, but whose side effects are quite interesting. It be opening doors to another world, man. This was a few friends' first drink at lousy parties. They'd take this and it would kill their taste buds so they could down jungle juice and cheap beer all night. Oh, please drink responsibly.

The Sourtoe Cocktail

1 large shot of anything, garnish with a toe

Pour the shot, throw in the toe

Drink it fast, drink it slow, but the lips have to touch the toe. This started in a little hotel bar in Alaska. It started as a variant of serving an oyster in champagne, only instead of an oyster, it was a severed human toe that was dehydrated in salt. These days it is no longer served in a beer mug full of champagne. It's served in a shot glass with whatever liquor you'd like. Good luck finding a severed human toe at your neighborhood bar though. 

Special mention to: The Ogre Killer, The New Jersey Turnpike, Smoker's Cough, The Cheese Shot, Tidal Wave, Motor Oil

Photo Credit: Wikimedia, Food Facts