Rainbow Booze Party

What, you may ask, is “Rainbow Booze”?  This is what a call all the fun, fruity, and candy-like alcoholic recipes that I made for a recent party (okay, not that recent – I am really behind on this post…)  I had been wanting to try out these things for awhile, but not by myself, so I hosted a party and let the taste testing begin!

My favorite recipe was probably the Spiked Rainbow Jello Mold.  I just love alcoholic jello, I don’t know why.

All you need is six boxes of Jello in rainbow colors, some unflavored gelatine, sweetened condensed milk (optional – only to make the jello more opaque), and some very cold alcohol.  I think flavored rum is the best way to go because it has the least alcohol taste.  I used coconut rum, but you can use whatever you like.  (Full recipe below.)

Next up were two candy based concoctions – Gummy Bears infused with Rum, and Vodka infused with Jolly Ranchers.

For the Rummy Bears – simply pour out a bag of gummy bears into a large container, the closer they are to being a single layer, the better.  I read that glass is recommended because alcohol might eat through plastic.  Once your bears are in the container, top with a bottle (yes, the whole bottle) of flavored rum (I used Pineapple), cover, place in the refrigerator, and let soak for 3-5 days, stirring occasionally.  The bears will soak up all the alcohol and get nice and fat.  Warning – these do not taste alcoholic, so be careful when consuming.

For the Jolly Rancher Vodka – get 5 small bottles of nice vodka and a big bag of candy.

Pour off about an ounce from each bottle (consume for more fun).  Separate the candy by flavor and drop all of each flavor into separate bottles (the numbers of each flavor will not be exactly even, so some flavors will be stronger than others).

Let the bottles sit out, shaking occasionally, until the candy is fully dissolved (it took about 18 hours for me).

Store in the freezer so that they stay nice and frosty.  Now these DO taste strongly of alcohol, so I recommend mixing them with Sprite.

Next up – the famous “Stoli Doli” pineapple infused vodka.  I used two small pineapples and a bottle of Skyy (use good quality vodka or it wont taste good).

Cut up the pineapple and layer into a large container, pour the vodka over and keep in the fridge for 10 days.

It is supposed to taste completely like pineapple at the end and not at all like vodka.  Mine ended up about half and half, so I blended up the pineapple, strained it, and added it back in.  It was still pretty strong, so we mixed it with Sprite.  Ideas for trying again include adding some basil, or sprinkling with brown sugar in the beginning to bring out more fruit flavor.

Lastly, I made some boozy melon balls by topping yellow and red watermelon, honeydew, and cantaloupe with Midori, Watermelon Rum, and Pineapple Juice and partially freezing.

Mmm… tasty balls… (Full recipe below.)

In balling my melons (that really will never cease to amuse me…) I ended up with a bunch of scraps and juice.

Not wanting to be wasteful, I blended it all up with Midori and Watermelon Rum for delicious watermelon martinis!

In case you are wondering – yes, that was a lot of alcohol; no, we did not finish it all; and yes, that Jolly Rancher vodka is still hanging out in my freezer.

Spiked Rainbow Jelly Mold
adapted from Jelly Shot Test Kitchen

4 1/2 cups boiling water, divided
6 (85g/3oz) packages gelatin dessert mix in rainbow colors
3 envelopes plain Knox gelatin (6 tsp gelatin powder total)
3 cups flavored vodka or rum, divided
sweetened condensed milk, optional

Place the bottle of vodka in the freezer for several hours before beginning this recipe.

Lightly spray a bundt pan or gelatin mold with non-stick cooking spray.  Wipe off the excess spray with a paper towel.  A slight residue should remain, just enough to help unmold your gelatin, without affecting the taste or appearance.

Pour 3/4 cup water into a saucepan and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of the plain gelatin.  Allow gelatin to soak for a minute or two.  Heat over low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is dissolved (about 5 minutes).  Wisk in the first package of flavored gelatin (the one you want to appear on the top of the mold).  Whisk for at least 2 minutes, or until completely dissolved.

Remove from heat.  Add 1/2 cup of the cold liquor, and stir to combine. Add a drop of the sweetened condensed milk, if using, and stir well.

Pour the gelatin mixture into the prepared mold, and place in refrigerator.  Allow to set for 20 to 30 minutes, until the gelatin is a little firm, but still sticks when touched.  This is very important – if the layers set up too much, the next layer won’t bond appropriately – so make sure you keep an eye on it.

Repeat steps with remaining gelatin flavors (rinse out the pan after each flavor and reuse it).  The time it takes the jello to set up will get shorter with each layer, so keep checking on it. After completing all the layers, refrigerate the gelatin overnight, allowing the layers to fully bond.

To unmold, fill a larger container or clean sink with warm (not hot) water.  With clean fingers (or a silicone spatula), loosen the gelatin around the edges of the mold cavities.  Next, dip the mold almost to the edge into the warm water for just a few seconds (10 seconds should be enough). Dry the bottom of the mold with a towel and check the edges to see if they are loose, if not, repeat the dip for just a few seconds. Be careful not to go too overboard with warming the mold or the outside layer of jello will melt and run all over the place, ruining your pretty rainbow. Place your serving plate on top of the mold and invert. Cut into slices to serve.

Spiked Melon Balls
adapted from Divas Can Cook

1 small, seedless red watermelon
1 small, seedless yellow watermelon
1 cantaloupe
1 honey dew melon
1/2 cup pineapple juice
1 cup Midori
1 cup Watermelon Rum

Add liquid to melon balls, freeze partially.