How to Make St. Patrick's Day Jello Shots

Co-authored by wikiHow Staff

Last Updated: May 25, 2021 References Tested

St. Patrick’s Day is a religious celebration that commemorates the patron saint of Ireland. Outside of Ireland, it’s popular to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day by drinking Irish alcohol, including Guinness, Irish whiskey, and Irish cream. And for people who want to get creative, you can also make Irish-themed jello shots, which you can actually make with or without alcohol. The most popular St. Patrick’s Day jello shots include green shots, whiskey and Guinness shots, and jello shots in the colors of the Irish flag.

Ingredients

Tri-Colored Green Jello Shots

1¼ cups (294 ml) lemonade
5 teaspoons (14 g) unsweetened gelatin
¾ cup (176 ml) lime vodka
3 tablespoons (44 ml) sweetened condensed milk
Green food coloring
Whipped cream, for garnish

Makes 10 shots

Stout and Whiskey Jello Shots

1¼ cups (294 ml) of Guinness
½ cup (118 ml) Irish whiskey
1 cup (235 ml) Irish cream, divided
8 teaspoons (23 g) unflavored gelatin, divided
4 teaspoons (19 g) granulated sugar
¼ cup (59 ml) cold water
½ cup (118 ml) boiling water

Makes 12 shots

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Making Tri-Colored Green Jello Shots

1
Combine the lemonade and gelatin. Transfer the lemonade to a small saucepan. Sprinkle the gelatin over the surface of the lemonade, and let the gelatin soak for two minutes. Place the saucepan over medium heat until the gelatin is dissolved, stirring constantly. Once the gelatin has dissolved in a few minutes, remove the pan from the heat.^{[1]
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- It’s best to use clear and unflavored gelatin for these shots. The quantity required for this recipe is about two envelops of gelatin.
2
Add the vodka and milk. Pour the alcohol and sweetened condensed milk into the warm lemonade and gelatin mixture. Stir the mixture to completely incorporate all the ingredients. To make these shots non-alcoholic, use water instead of vodka.
- In place of the sweetened condensed milk, you can also use a combination of regular milk and ice cream.^{[2]
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3
Divide the mixture. Pour the gelatin mixture into three separate bowls. Each bowl should contain the same amount of the mixture. By dividing the mixture, you can color each one a different shade of green to make the tri-colored jello shots.
4
Add food coloring to the three bowls. For the best results, use green and neon green food coloring. You can experiment with different quantities of the food coloring to create different shades if you like. For a basic tri-colored shot with light, medium, and dark green layers:^{[3]
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- In the first bowl, stir in two drops each of green and neon green to create a light green.
- In the second bowl, stir in four drops each of green and neon green to create a medium green.
- In the third bowl, stir in six drops each of green and neon green to create a dark green.
- To make Irish flag jello shots, leave one bowl the whitish color it is, color one bowl green, and color the last bowl orange.^{[4]
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5
Pour the light layer of jello. Arrange your 10 shot glasses on a tray or baking sheet. Fill each shot glass one-quarter of the way full with the light green jello. This will be the bottom layer. Transfer the tray with the filled shot glasses to the refrigerator and let them set for 20 minutes.
- Cover the other two bowls of jello with sheets of plastic wrap to keep them from setting.
- You can use any type of shot glass you like, including straight or tapered ones, but make sure they're clear so people can see the multiple layers.
- To make Irish flag jello shots, put the green layer on the bottom.
6
Add the medium green layer of jello. Remove the jello shots from the refrigerator. Remove the plastic wrap from the medium green jello, and fill each shot glass with equal amounts of medium green jello as light green. The shot glasses should be halfway full at this point.^{[5]
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- Once they’ve been filled with the second layer, return the shot glasses to the refrigerator to set for another 20 minutes.
- For the Irish flag jello shots, the whitish layer should be the second layer.
7
Add the dark green layer of jello. Take the shots out of the refrigerator after another 20 minutes. Remove the plastic from the dark green jello and add the final layer. Make sure you have equal layers of light, medium, and dark green jello. The glasses should be three-quarters full.^{[6]
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- To finish Irish flag jello shots, pour the orange layer on last.
8
Give the jello time to set. When all three layers have been poured, transfer the shots to the refrigerator one last time. Let the jello set overnight if possible, or for at least four hours. The jello is ready when it’s completely firm.^{[7]
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- To prevent a hard film from developing on top of the jello, cover the shots with a large sheet of plastic wrap.
9
Garnish with whipped cream before serving. Right before it’s time to serve the jello shots, remove them from the refrigerator. Top each one with a small dollop of whipped cream to fill the remaining quarter of the shot glasses. You can also garnish them with green or gold sugar if you like.^{[8]
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Research source} Serve the shots with small spoons so people can dig out the jello.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Making Stout and Whiskey Jello Shots

1
Combine the whiskey and half the gelatin. Pour the Irish whiskey into a medium-sized mixing bowl and sprinkle 4 teaspoons (11.5 g) of the gelatin on top. Let the gelatin sit for two minutes to soak up the whiskey, and then stir the mixture.^{[9]
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- This entire recipe requires about four envelops of gelatin, so you'll need to use roughly two of those envelops now.
2
Heat the Guinness. Transfer the Guinness to a small saucepan and heat it over medium heat. Use a candy thermometer to keep an eye on the temperature, and bring the Guinness to 150 F (65.5 C). This will be warm enough to dissolve the gelatin, but not so hot that the alcohol burns off the beer.
- You can also microwave the Guinness for 80 seconds to heat it.^{[10]
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- You don’t have to use Guinness specifically for this recipe, and can use any dry stout beer as a substitute.
3
Add the sugar to the Guinness. When the Guinness reaches the appropriate temperature, remove the pan from the heat. Add the sugar to the hot beer and stir the mixture for one to two minutes, until the sugar is dissolved.
4
Combine the Guinness and gelatin mixture. Pour the hot, sweetened Guinness into the bowl with the Irish whiskey and gelatin. Stir the mixture to incorporate the two components, and keep stirring until the gelatin is completely dissolved.^{[11]
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5
Pour the jello into shot glasses. Arrange 12 shot glasses on a tray or baking sheet. This will make them easier to transport to and from the refrigerator. Divide the Guinness and whisky mixture evenly among the 12 glasses. Each shot glass will end up being roughly three-quarters full.^{[12]
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- Pour any leftover stout and whiskey jello mixture into a larger glass or bowl.
6
Refrigerate the shots. Cover the shots with a large sheet of plastic wrap. Transfer the shots to the refrigerator and let them partially set for an hour.^{[13]
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Research source} You don’t want to wait any longer than that, otherwise the top jello foam layer may not properly adhere to the bottom layer of stout and beer jello.
7
Make the top layer of foam. Combine ¼ cup (59 ml) of the Irish cream and the cold water in a small bowl. Sprinkle in the remaining 4 teaspoons (11.5 g) of gelatin and let it sit for two minutes. Add the boiling water and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. Add the remaining ¾ cup (176 ml) of Irish cream and stir to combine.^{[14]
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- Don’t make the top layer of foam jello until the bottom layer has finished firming up.
8
Pour the top layer onto the jello shots. When the jello foam is ready, remove the shot glasses from the refrigerator. Top off each glass with a layer of the foam jello to recreate the head or foam that forms at the top of a glass of beer.^{[15]
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9
Let the shots set. When all the shot glasses have been topped off with foam, cover them with the plastic wrap again. Return the shots to the refrigerator and let them set overnight, or for at least four hours.^{[16]
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Research source} The shots are ready to enjoy when the jello is completely firm.