When you’re hosting a party – whether it’s for the Super Bowl, a birthday, or simply to make getting through the winter a little easier – it’s easy to focus on the food. Something just as important that we shouldn’t forget, though? Drinks! And if you’re at least 21-years-old, the most fun beverage can be a festive shot!

Our favorite type of shots? Jell-O® shots, of course! We’ve made them before – remember our watermelon and lemon drop versions? – and now we’re trying a new kind that has us looking forward to summer: Pink Lemonade! These sweet and tart treats are a great way to kick off any party, and the pink lemonade is totally homemade. Watch how it’s done, then read on for the full step-by-step recipe.

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Pink Lemonade Jell-O® Shots

Makes 36 wedge shots
Prep Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 6 hours 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 lemons, cut in half lengthwise
  • ½ cup lemon juice (from the 6 lemons)
  • ⅓ to ½ cup granulated sugar, or to taste
  • ½ cup water
  • 2 or 3 raspberries or chopped strawberries
  • 2 tablespoons (2 envelopes) unflavored powdered gelatin
  • ½ to ¾ cup citrus vodka or vodka
Homemade pink lemonade Jell-O shots in lemon wedgesTipHero

Directions

  1. Cut around the edges of the lemon flesh to separate it from the peel. Scoop the lemon flesh, seeds, and any remaining membrane out with a spoon, and add all of it to a bowl. Squeeze as much lemon juice out of the lemon flesh as you can.
    Scoop lemon flesh, seeds, and any remaining membrane out with a spoon and into a bowlTipHero
  2. Place each clean lemon peel into the cup of a muffin tin or jumbo muffin tin, depending on the size of the lemons.
  3. In a small saucepan, combine the lemon juice from the lemon flesh with the sugar, water and raspberries.
    In a small saucepan, combine lemon juice, raspberries, sugar and waterTipHero
  4. Whisk the gelatin into the juice mixture gradually and let it sit for 5 minutes, until the gelatin is softened.
  5. Heat the pan over medium heat, and whisk for about 2 to 3 minutes, until the sugar and gelatin are completely dissolved. Do not let the mixture boil or it may prevent the gelatin from setting properly.
  6. Whisk in the citrus vodka, and remove from the heat. Strain the mixture to remove any fruit seeds.
  7. To make it easier to fill the lemon halves, use a ladle, or transfer the lemonade mixture to a large liquid measuring cup when cool enough to safely do so. Fill each peel up to the top.
    Fill each peel up to the top with pink lemonade Jell-O mixtureTipHero
  8. Transfer the tins of filled peels to the refrigerator and chill for 6 hours, or until the gelatin has set.
    Transfer tins of filled peels to refrigerator and chill for 6 hours or until gelatin has setTipHero
  9. Slice each set lemon half into thirds and serve.

Chef’s Tips

  • Want your Jell-O® shots to be a darker shade of pink? You can add more raspberries or chopped strawberries to achieve it!
  • The amount of sugar you’ll want to add depends on how sweet or tart you prefer your shots to be. Using ⅓ cup will make a more tart lemonade and ½ cup will make a sweeter lemonade.
  • The amount of citrus vodka you use will depend, of course, on how strong you’d like the shots to be.
  • Don’t have a muffin tin on hand or don’t want to use one for your Jell-O® shots, you can also use any container that will hold them upright and prevent spillage.
  • If, after chilling for six hours and/or overnight, the gelatin has still not set completely, it is not going to. You can hydrate another 2 envelopes of gelatin (or less if gelatin has partially set) in a little of the cold lemonade mixture and repeat the heating, filling, and setting process.
6 homemade pink lemonade Jell-O shots in lemon wedgesTipHero

So great! We love that these Jell-O® shots are as pretty as they are delicious, and that the pink lemonade is homemade with our favorite pink fruits. It doesn’t get much better than that, now does it?!

So what do you think? Will you serve these Pink Lemonade Jell-O® Shots at your next party? What other flavors would you like to see? Let us know if you give them a try and tell us how they turn out!

Recipe adapted from A Beautiful Mess