For many people, the words “Jell-O shots” conjure up Technicolor memories. Perhaps you were first given it in the basement of a terrible fluffy party, just before the whisks were turned on. Or was it the tray of glowing red Dixie cups handed out at a backyard barbecue? Maybe a friend bought a discount round at a dive bar. No matter the scenario, Jell-O shots have long represented fun (admittedly a different kind of fun than a well-thought-out cocktail), even if they arrive in neon blue razz style. Having written about drinks since the height of the craft cocktail movement, I’ve found that even in this moment of global fear, the best bars everywhere are seizing the fun. Enter energy-altering jello shots.
For as long as State University has been televising its 11 a.m. kickoffs, Jell-O shots have been nothing more than a box of flavored gelatin with a healthy dose of vodka or white rum and poured into a single-use container. But why stop there? In an attempt to capitalize on the celebratory feel of bouncy shots in a more upscale setting, the formula has recently evolved, with top bars and upscale restaurants now offering Jello shots, which are miniature cocktails that have been gelatinized and treated with the same care as the rest of the drinks menu. For example, Tall Boy in Oakland, Calif., has made a name for itself with all kinds of shots, including $4 Jello shots that come in flavors like OnlyFans Martini (a passion fruit-forward shot inspired by the modern classic Porn Star Martini) and Chamoy Boy (a tangy chamoy-infused shot sprinkled with blanco tequila, lime, and tagine). At Silver Ryan in Washington, D.C., bartenders painstakingly remove the citrus shells, fill the empty shells with elaborate Jell-O cocktails, and finally slice them into wedges and serve them with a sidecar of champagne. An average weekend night sells 60 to 110 wedges, and each month sells thousands. “Some people come in and order right before we give them water,” says general manager Alex Reidy. He cited baijiu melon balls with jamon ibérico salt as his favorite version the bar has made.
While some bar directors use walk-ins in their kitchens to make their own jelly, others, like Milady’s in Manhattan and Rose’s Luxury in Washington, D.C., choose to purchase their jelly from the new gold standard, New York City-based company Solid Wiggles. Solid Wiggles cocktail jelly is completely translucent and decorated with glitter, plaid stripes, splatter paint, or fun flowers that are magically sculpturally constructed within the cube using a syringe, various infusion tips, and an X-Acto knife. It may seem impossible to recreate these at home, but Solid Wiggles owners Jenna Derman and Jack Schramm will do so next week. Release of first cookbookdetails how to make this absolutely dazzling jelly.
As Durman and Schramm tell it, their partnership was one of necessity. The two met in 2013 while working at Momofuku Milk Bar in New York’s East Village. Derman continued to work in the baking and pastry world, and Schram continued to work at Booker & Dax. Booker & Dax is a pioneering cocktail bar led by Dave Arnold, who has long been crafting cocktails with a mad scientist’s attention to detail. At one point, Darman made a boozy jelly birthday cake for a friend. This has led to numerous commissions for her stunning, colorful and twisty pieces. The more she got into the business, the more she realized she needed help, especially with clarity and flavor. Schramm was the right person to call. They’ve been working together since 2020, and now have a Brooklyn-based kitchen equipped with high-tech tools like a centrifuge (the answer to the clarity challenge) and a chamber vacuum sealer, as well as a small staff to handle the jelly.
Karin Stanley, beverage director at the acclaimed Tatiana by Kwame Onwuachi restaurant in New York’s Lincoln Center, has been purchasing Solid Wiggles jelly since the beginning. “Opening Tatiana was a fever dream, with such a big, colorful concept painted on the hallowed walls of Lincoln Center,” Stanley recalls. “We immediately knew we wanted all of our beverages to be appealing in terms of flavor, visuals, and brand choices, and Solid Wiggles was a natural choice.” Schramm and Durman created custom flavors for Tatiana that complemented the design of the space. It’s a “mango margarita called Beneath the Clouds, with a purple Frank Gehry lighting aesthetic,” Stanley says.
Stanley says he had never thought of making his own liquor-infused jelly. “Are you kidding me? This is a labor of love and an artistic point of view. I don’t have the technical skills or the visual eccentricity to pull off something close to The Wiggles,” she says.
The new book, also called “Solid Wiggles,” shows how Jello shots can become an art form by sharing techniques and tips like unmolding and using gelatin sheets rather than powder. “We tried to create a recipe using powder, but there was no escaping the horrifying reality: Powdered gelatin smells like farts. Once Pandora’s butt is open, there’s no getting rid of the smell,” they wrote.
And there’s also advice on the chemistry behind clarification, and the balance of recipes that usually involve bubbles. All recipes (except non-alcoholic ones) are approximately 5% alcohol by volume. This means you need to eat a lot of Jell-O shots to get the full effect of the booze. Durman and Schramm decided on this level to give the shot a balance of flavor, but they also say it makes it legally easier to distribute the jelly. It will be shipped nationwide soon. The company currently produces between 8,000 and 10,000 pieces of jelly each week.
The book is divided into two recipe sections: Party Animal and Party Pro. The first is when “you want to make Jell-O tonight, but all you have is a measuring cup and a measuring spoon,” Derman explains. These are easier mix-and-pour recipes, from Midori Sourshot to paper airplanes. The Party Pro half of this book should cover injection tips (soon to be sold on the Solid Wiggles website). Here, mimosa becomes a floral canvas for milk jelly with a layer of prosecco.
“We are certainly not the first to add alcohol or create intricate, colorful designs in jelly,” Derman and Schramm write in the book, crediting comedian Tom Lehrer, who used Jell-O as a smuggler to sneak booze into base parties in the 1950s. Artist Lourdes Reyes Rosas created 3D gelatin works of flowers in Mexico City in the 1990s. Le Viandier de Taillevent, considered one of France’s oldest cookbooks, also mentions aspic in wine dating back to the Middle Ages.
Solid Cocktails from Silver Ryan in Washington DC. Photo by Caitlin Isola
The frat party version of Jell-O shots served as a great equalizer, with everyone using their index fingers to pry the Jell-O out of their little cups, and today’s version has the same hurray-inducing vibe at the table. “Dinner guests eat jelly at almost every point during the meal,” Stanley says. This could be an amuse-bouche, a palate cleanser, or something to light a birthday candle at the end of the meal. There’s really no such thing as the best time.
“People like to take photos to share moments together,” says Reidy. “Even if the week ends on Friday, ugh!”
While fancy Jell-O shots are the current hit, the humble Jell-O shot still has its place. Alex Jump, co-owner of Denver’s Peach Crease Club, grew up in Chattanooga, Tennessee, where a woman made Jello shots for the local parade every summer. Following this, Jump will be offering $8 green tea Jell-O shots at the venture’s to-go window, called Peach Pit, located in the plaza adjacent to a music venue called Mission Ballroom. While waiting for their tickets, concertgoers can pop a finger of Jameson, a local peach liqueur from Colorado distillery Leopold Brothers, a combination of homemade lemon cordial and a little Kota Pandan liqueur, and know it’s going to be a good night.
