Cinco de Mayo Jelly Shots

A few fun (and selectively spicy!) warm-weather favorites! Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Hi all, just a few thoughts from the JSTK recipe trove for Cinco de Mayo jelly shots. My thought process was more along the lines of jelly shots that might be pretty and fun, and taste good with your party fare - I wish I had more margaritas and the like. Maybe that's a good project for the summer! (Oh yes! I think it is!)
Anyway, this the line-up that will be on my patio (minus the floral on the Elderflower Mojito - I'm realistic enough to realize that will never happen in any reasonable time frame. We'd be having them for Cinco de November... an occasion not nearly as festive.):

Cucumber Lime Margarita
Elderflower Mojito
Fire-breathing Dragon
Paloma

I have a new post ready for next week, but haven't had time to process the photos. Or tend to blog comments. I am really a terrible blogger, where consistency is concerned. Or at least there is room for significant improvement. What is that they say about good intentions?  Sigh. I have so many ideas, and so little time to execute. But, today's a new day!  In the meantime - until I can clean up my blogging act - thank you all so much for your continued visits, patience, sweet messages and urgent jelly shot inquiries.

Here's a big squooshy XOXOX!

Michelle

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Elderflower Mojito Jelly Shot

Elderflower Mojito Jelly Shots look fetching in floral print . . . 

Ah, spring . . . it makes the thoughts turn to . . . Elderflower liqueur?  Jelly Shots? Wait a second . . .  Well, maybe that's a bit off the mark for most, but its precisely what happened when Dolce&Gabbana queried JSTK about creating a jelly shot for their luxury magazine, Swide.com.
Such a fun project!  Click here to read the full article on Swide.com.  Recipe follows . . . Hope you enjoy. 

(And many thanks to Dolce&Gabbana - loved to work with you and hope to visit your beautiful Bar Martini in Milan sometime soon!)  

XO Michelle

Elderflower Mojito Jelly Shot

• 1 package fresh mint (3/4-ounce/21 g package about 50 mint leaves)
• 1/2 cup/120 ml white rum
• 1/2 cup/120 ml St-Germain Elderflower Liqueur
• 1/3 cup/75 ml fresh lime juice
• 1/3 cup/75 ml water
• 1/3 cup/75 ml simple syrup or agave nectar
• 2 envelopes plain gelatin (about 4 tsp gelatin powder)

Instructions:

Lightly muddle mint in a small bowl.  (Gently crush the mint with the back of a spoon if you don’t have a muddler!)  Add the rum and elderflower liqueur to the bowl and set aside. 

Combine lime juice, water and simple syrup/agave in a small saucepan.  Sprinkle with gelatin, and allow the gelatin to soak for a minute or two.  Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until the gelatin is dissolved (about 5 minutes).  Remove from heat. 

Strain the mint-infused liquor into the pan and stir to combine. 

Refrigerate until fully set, several hours or overnight.  A few hours before serving, “paint” a floral pattern on the surface of the jelly shots with a paintbrush and food coloring.  (I used natural colors – while the colors are limited, I love to mix my own custom shades!) Return pan to fridge to allow the food coloring to set, about 2 hours. 

Cut into desired shapes to serve.  Makes 12 to 18 jelly shots.  

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Muddled

Mojito Jelly Shot

The Mojito Jelly Shot has proven its paces, receiving high marks from our Halloween audience as well as impromptu testers. It certainly is one of our favorites (Hhhm, do we say that every time? We are perhaps a touch fickle).

Rum, mint and lime is a hard combination to beat, however, this week we're studying the Mojito's kissing cousin, the Caipirinha!   Soon we head to an Argentine restaurant (a local restaurant with Argentine Food, not a restaurant IN Argentina, unfortunately) for a little "sugar cane liqueur and muddled lime" action.

Cheers, JSTK

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Halloween Festivities

Jelly Shot Platter

Front to Back:

Raspberry Kamikaze, Kamikaze Eyeballs

Tequila Sunset, Mojito

 We look forward to our neighborhood Halloween party every year;  it errs well on the side of a "bash"!  Best side to err on, really. . .

So, many thanks to our gracious hosts in the House on the Hill for yet another lovely All Hallow's Eve.  The food was fantastic; the Mad Scientist charismatic (we heard he melted a styrofoam head!); and the outdoor bar cozy with space heaters.  We had a wonderful time catching up with our grown-up neighbors and checking out all of the adorable kids' costumes pre-Tricks-or-Treats. 

In the "spirit" of ghoulish fun, we brought a sampler plate of jelly shots to the party:  Mojito, Tequila Sunrise, Kamikaze Eyeballs, and Raspberry Kamikaze.  The two varieties of Kamikaze were made with our new, fancy silicon molds . . . such fun!  While we are quite partial to the Raspberry Kamikaze,  we hear that the Mojito jelly shots were among the favorites of the party-goers this time.

Hope everyone had a fantastic Halloween!

Cheers,

JSTK

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Mint-tastic

It seems that Winter has already arrived and departed here in the Land of Gelatine.  An unexpectedly snowy weekend led into a blustery week, but suddenly green grass is revealed again.  Is it Spring?  Autumn?  We're so confused . . . let's call it Summer and take refuge from blistering sun and humidity in a vat of cool, lovely fresh mint.  Oh, yes, mint, and a small bit of rum . . . and a squeeze of lime or two . . .okay, perhaps three.

Mojito Jelly Shot

The Mojito Jelly Shot was the star performer of this week's test plates.  Refreshing yet bold.  Cool yet sassy.  Someone pass us another!

Cheers,

JSTK

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