by For Memorial Day, I decided to make some awesome Jello shots.  Dana’s friend Kristy was in DC visiting, so I wanted to have a nice little cocktail lined up for her.  Unfortunately, I was running late so I actually had her help me make the shots.  You will see her hands in a few shots.  Last year I made orange Jello shots in orange peels, thus allowing them to be easily eaten.  I have take this to another step and created perfectly tart lemon drop Jello shots, made in lemon peels. After slicing them, I dipped them in superfine sugar to add the perfect sweetness.  This also recreated the awesome sugar covered lemon of traditional lemon drop shots.
Lined up and ready to eat. Â These shots did not last long.
Lemon Drop Jello Shots
- 8 large lemons
- 2 packages lemon Jello (3oz)
- 1 cup boiling water
- 1 cup lemon vodka
- 1/2 cup lemon juice
- 1/2 cup ice cold water
- 1/2 cup sugar, for dipping
Cut the lemons in half lengthwise. Then using a spoon core out the insides of the lemon, leaving just the shell.
Make sure not to cut through the side of the lemon peel. Â Save the pulp for juicing.
Then juice the pulp in a lemon juicer. Â Simultaneously, bring 1 cup of water to boil.
In a large bowl, combine the 2 boxes of lemon Jello with the one cup of boiling water.  Stir until the Jello is dissolved. Then add the vodka, lemon juice and cold water.
Place the lemon shells, peel side down in a muffin tin. Â Then pour the Jello into the lemon shells until the liquid reaches the top.
Place in the refrigerator until solidified. Â Roughly 4 hours.
When ready to serve, cut the lemon halves into wedges. Â It is best to do this with a warm sharp knife. Â Run a knife under hot water, dry it and then slice the halves into wedges.
On a plate pour 1/4 cup of sugar. Â Dip both sides of the wedges into the sugar.
Plate and serve. Â Make sure to make a ton of these. Â Even people that hate Jello shots, love these as they are so easy to eat.
These were the best jello shots I’ve ever had! Thanks to Kristy for helping 🙂
You deserve some kind of award for this and your oranges.
Rex – I made these for a bachelorette party this past weekend and they were a hit. Everyone was amazed at how unique and amazing they were!
PS. – It’s Ashley, Thomas’s girlfriend.
Ashley – Glad to hear they were a hit. You will have to try the orange ones next.
I love this idea. I’m sending this link out to my friends so we can make these at some of our future parties.
Loved the rib post too!
Thanks so much Thrifty. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did.
Those look very delicious. I like to try different kinds of shots each weekend to keep things interesting.
Do you have any tips on getting the lemon pulp out of the rind? I used my fingers to scoop out the oranges for the orange jello shots, but that isn't working as well on the lemons.
These shots are a fantastic idea. My Thanksgiving will be awesome!
@FairPumpkin – I used a spoon to get the pulp out of the rind. I found that if I used a spoon and went just into the rind, everything came out in a single scoop. If there is any left, use the edge of the spoon to scrape the bottom. I think a little pulp might make the shots even better. Best of luck with the shots. Have a happy Thanksgiving.
– Rex
Thanks Rex. I'm sure the pulp would pop right out if my spoons were shaped differently. The spoons are all "stylish". Great for soup not for scoop. 😉
I totally dig your site. Have a great Thanksgiving.
Beyond delicious! We were tanked.
Awesome idea, do u think lemon sour puss would work and do you dip the whole side of the lemon in sugar or just the edges?
Lemon sour puss crumbles would be awesome around the edge.
im going to make them.. without alcohol.
What size jello packages? two 3oz boxes or two 6oz boxes?
Sorry, I used 3oz packages.
THANKS!!! I'M POSITIVE THESE WILL BECOME MY STAPLE FOR ALL FUTURE SHINDIGS!!!
I made the lemon ones and everyone loved them!!!
I have a few questions:
For some reason they started melting in the rind. I made in paper cups at the same time and those did not melt. Do you have any idea why?
How do you keep the rinds from getting soft?
Thank you for sharing!
I received a comment from Kat that the shots started to melt a tad in the rind. This might be from the fact that there is still a little juice/pulp in the shots. The best bet would be to clean each rind fully or to remove about a tbs of liquid from the mixture to compensate for the liquid remaining in the rind.
That is a great idea. I might have to get a juicer to make things easier.
I took these to three parties tonight for the 4th in our neighborhood. They were a HUGE hit. I upped the citrus vodka instead of the extra 1/2 cup of water. I served them on a platter with a layer of sugar that dusted the peel. Everyone absolutely LOVED them. Thank you for sharing your recipe!!
Glad everyone loved them Kate.
I'm going to make them for my sons grad. party…thank you, I wanted something different. JAN
Thanks to you I now have people paying me to make these for parties….I love them and so do my friends… Thank you…
Using your idea, I made Lime Jello shots with tequilla. With a lick of salt, it's almost like taking a shot. Limes, of course, are smaller than lemons or oranges, so you end up making more. But that's ok, no one seems to mind eating more of them.
I posted a photo on your site (image 7796 by heyeron)
Can you add equal amounts of lemon juice and vodka instead of using lemon vodka?
You can use regular vodka instead of lemon vodka. If you wanted to lemon up some regular vodka I would use about 1 tbs of lemon juice.
Hope that Helps.
Rex
what size jello BOX?
Tallmom – I used two of the 3oz packages
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Can I make these 1 or 2 days in advance or will the peels start to go soggy?
How long can these sit outside of the fridge before they start to melt? Or are they so tasty they will be gone in minutes anyway??? ?
I would make these no longer than 24 hours in advance. I would say that you could leave them out for an hour or so. They are best eaten super cold.