4.72 from 38 votes
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If you’ve been to my house for a get-together, you know I love to serve jello shots for parties. So I’m always trying out new recipes to find the next big hit (like these Margarita jello shots and Pink Champagne jelly shots). This lemon drop jello shots recipe made with vodka and Limoncello is my new favorite addition to the list!
If you love lemon drop martinis, then this lemon drop jello shot recipe is for you! And if you’ve never had a lemon drop martini, you might just want to give this jello shot version of it a try.
It has a refreshing lemon-y taste that isn’t too sweet or too sour. I made it for the first time at my annual super bowl party this year, and it was a crowd favorite.
To be honest, it was my favorite, too. (I’m not admitting that I may have had more than my share of them).
Like many jello shot recipes, they’re so easy to put together!
Plus they can be made a day or two in advance, which makes them really great for parties.
Ingredients
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Here’s your shopping list:
- gelatin – 1 small (3 ounce) box of lemon jello
- alcohol – ½ cup Vodka, ¼ cup Limoncello
- produce – 1 lemon
Substitutions
- To extra lemon flavor, use Citron vodka instead of regular vodka
Supplies and Utensils
To make this lemon drop jello shots recipe, you’re going to need the following supplies:
- baking sheet – while not absolutely necessary, putting the jello shots on a cookie sheet makes them much easier to transport to the refrigerator. And it catches any spills that might happen which makes clean-up easier.
- 16 2-ounce plastic shot cups with lids* – I find 2 ounce shot cups work better than 1 ounce ones for jello shots. 1 ounce just isn’t big enough. And I always get the ones with lids. They are easy to stack so they take up less room in the fridge. (Fridge space is always at a premium when I’m getting ready for a party!)
- Kettle or pot – for boiling the water.
- Mixing bowl – Using a bowl with a spout* makes it much easier to pour the jello mixture into your shot cups.
- Measuring cup – I love these measuring cups* that you can read from the top. They are so much easier to use!
- Lemon juicer
How To Make Lemon Drop Jello Shots
To start, spread the jello shot cups out on the cookie sheet. Using a cookie sheet isn’t absolutely necessary. But it does make moving the jello shots to and from the fridge much easier. And it prevents jello spills from ending up on your counter.
One small box of jello usually makes about 16 jello shots (depending on how full you make them). I usually put out a few extra just in case.
Pour the gelatin crystals into a mixing bowl.
Boil the water.
Pour 1 cup of the boiling water into the sugar crystals and stir until they are well mixed.
Then add ½ cup vodka, ¼ cup Limoncello, the juice of one lemon (about 3 Tablespoons) and enough cold water (about 1 Tablespoon) to total 1 cup of cold liquids.
You can vary the amount of each depending on how strong and how lemon-y you want the flavor to be. Even get rid of the water altogether if you want a stronger jello shot recipe.
Just make sure that the total amount of cold liquids comes out to no more than 1 cup. Otherwise, the jello may not set.
I usually add all the cold liquids to my measuring cup to make sure it comes out to 1 cup. Then pour them all to the jello mixture at one time.
Stir again and you’re ready to fill your shot cups.
I let them sit in the shot glasses for a few minutes until they have cooled completely. Then put the lids on and put them in the refrigerator.
That prevents condensation from building up on the inside of the jello shot cups. If you’re in a hurry, this isn’t completely necessary…the extra water doesn’t hurt the jello shots but they look better without it.
Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours until set.
This lemon drop jello shots recipe can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. (It probably is possible to store them even longer than that, but I don’t think they taste as fresh.)
How To Serve Lemon Drop Jello Shots
To be honest, I don’t usually add garnishes to my jello shots. Mostly because I don’t have time.
But if you want to, you can add take the lids off and add a small slice of lemon either on top of the jello shot, or on the rim of the jello shot cup.
Or add some mint leaves.
The one thing I do always have on hand for serving, is mini tasting spoons*.
Most of friends prefer to eat the jello shots rather than slurp them. And these spoons are the perfect size.
Other Jello Shot Recipes You Might Like
- Cosmopolitan Jello Shots
- Pina Colada Layered Jello Shots
- Strawberry Shortcake Jello Shots
- Vodka Jello Shots
Or you can browse through all of our jello shot recipes for more ideas.
Lemon Drop Jello Shots Recipe
This lemon drop jello shots recipe tastes just like a Lemon Drop Martini. It's refreshing and easy to make ahead for a party.
4.72 from 38 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate
Prep Time 10 minutes mins
Cooling Time 2 hours hrs
Total Time 2 hours hrs 10 minutes mins
Servings 16 shots
Calories 52 kcal
Equipment
Jello shot cups
cookie sheet
mixing bowl
measuring cup
kettle or pot
Ingredients
- 1 small (3-ounce) package Lemon jello
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup vodka
- ¼ cup Limoncello
- 1 lemon juiced
- 1 Tablespoon cold water
Instructions
Pour the jello crystals into a mixing bowl.
Pour 1 cup of boiling water into the jello crystals and stir until they are well mixed.
Then add 1/2 cup vodka, 1/4 cup Limoncello, the juice of one lemon (about 3 Tablespoons) and enough cold water (about 1 Tablespoon) to bring the total cold liquids amount to 1 cup.
Stir again.
Fill the shot cups about ¾ full with the jello mixture
Refrigerate for 2 to 4 hours until set.
Notes
- Spreading the shot cups out on a cookie sheet makes them easy to transport to the refrigerator and helps to catch spills.
- Using shot cups with lids makes them stack-able which saves on refrigerator space.
- You can vary the amount of vodka, Limoncello, lemon juice and cold water you add depending on how strong and how lemon-y you want the flavor to be. You can even eliminate the water for stronger jello shots.
- Just make sure that the total amount of cold liquids comes out to no more than 1 cup. Otherwise, the jello may not set.
- Adding all of the cold liquids to a measuring cup before pouring them into the jello mixture helps to make sure you have the right amount
- Letting the jello mixture cool in the shot cups before putting the lids on will prevent condensation from forming on the inside of the lids.
- These jello shots can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days before they start to lose their flavor.
Nutrition
Calories: 52 kcal | Carbohydrates: 7 g | Protein: 0.5 g | Fat: 0.01 g | Saturated Fat: 0.001 g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.003 g | Monounsaturated Fat: 0.001 g | Sodium: 26 mg | Potassium: 5 mg | Fiber: 0.1 g | Sugar: 6 g | Vitamin A: 1 IU | Vitamin C: 2 mg | Calcium: 2 mg | Iron: 0.03 mg
Nutrition values are estimates only, using online calculators. Please verify using your own data.
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This post was originally published on August 6, 2019 but was updated with new content on December 14, 2023.
