When my sweet niece Mercedes posted a You Tube video of these gelatin shots to my FB page, I knew I had to try them – they were so cute and looked perfect for summer. I mean really, how Martha-Stewart perfect are these? And, as the matron of gelatin shots in our family (thanks to my grownup nieces, nephews and siblings, plus a penchant to please) I thought these would be a big hit for my sister’s recent birthday celebration. And yes, yes they were.

To be completely honest, these are somewhat of a pain to make. Assembling and mixing the ingredients is quite easy and even scooping the lemons doesn’t take long. What’s hard (at least for me), is trying to fill the lemons to the top with the gelatin mixture and then transferring them to the fridge without spilling any of it. I used a ladle to fill the lemons, but next time I think I’ll get one of those plastic squeeze thingies instead, and fill part of them in the actual fridge. And there will be a next time, because in addition to being so cute, these are tart, refreshing and ideal for a hot summer’s day. And they do pack a punch!

I did change regular pink lemonade to raspberry lemonade, but that was all. To view the video Mercedes sent me to see a step-by-step instructional, click here: Tipsy Bartender

Ingredients

• 1 cup raspberry-flavored lemonade
• 1 package (1 oz.) plain gelatin
• 10-15 lemons, depending on their size (mine were fairly small.) If you have extra filling, just pour into shot cups and refrigerate to enjoy later.
• 1 cup vodka
• 2-3 drops red food coloring (optional)

Preparation

Slice lemons lengthwise.

With a sharp utility knife, slice around the inner edges of the lemon rind, taking care not to cut all the way through.

Take a spoon or melon baller and scoop out all of the lemon flesh, which you want to save later for other uses. For this step, I just used my clean hands to scoop out the flesh, which was the easiest of methods. I put the leftover lemon flesh through my juicer, which yielded almost a cup of fresh lemon juice to use later.

Place the scooped-out lemon halves in a muffin pan (I used a mini-muffin pan since my lemons were on the smaller side.)

Place the raspberry lemonade and gelatin in a small saucepan.

Mix well, bring to a slow boil and remove from heat, and let col for several minutes.

Place the gelatin in a mixing bowl.

Add the vodka and a few drops of red food coloring and mix well.

Ladle (or squeeze) the lemonade/gelatin mixture to the scooped out lemons, filling as close to the top as possible.

Refrigerate until set (several hours or overnight.)

Once set, slice the lemons in half with a good, sharp knife.

Serve immediately, otherwise the gelatin with start to melt (heaven forbid!)

Happy birthday, Sis, hoped you enjoyed! Thank you, Mercedes, for the suggestion and keep them coming!

Bon appétit!

Eat, drink and be merry!

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