Toronto bars are giving Jell-O shots all kinds of grown-up twists

When he opened Belle Isle, the new snack bar in Little India from the team behind Lake Inez, chef and co-owner Jay Moore became obsessed with Jell-O shots. He made batches and batches of them, studied official Jell-O cookbooks, and ran through dozens of recipes. He made a gelatin portrait of Kid Rock and even tried to make an aquarium scene suspended in Jell-O, which co-owner Zac Schwartz said would be almost impossible to replicate 40 times a night. “He tested them on us, his wife, his children—those ones weren’t spiked—and anyone he hadn’t exhausted yet,” says Schwartz. Finally, he nailed it.

Related: What’s on the menu at Belle Isle, a new snack and cocktail bar in the east end

Since Belle Isle opened in October, its most-Instagrammed menu item is an orange-and-red wave that spells out a cheeky NSFW phrase. These aren’t the cloying Jell-O shots from your college days. They’re made with top-shelf spirits, not bottom-of-the-barrel plonk. Moore’s recipe mixes Tito’s vodka with Galliano liqueur and maraschino cherry juice. It tastes like a Harvey Wallbanger—and you can eat it with a fork and knife. “Everyone loves Jell-O shots,” Schwartz says. “They taste good, don’t spill on the table or burn on the way down—and they jiggle.” As for the explicit mould: “It sums up how we’re feeling about everything these days.”

Other places to say hello, Jell-O

Civil Works: This bar in the Waterworks Food Hall turns classic cocktails—like a mojito, a garibaldi, or a Fernet and cola—into wiggly cubes.

Akin: The new tasting-menu restaurant from chef Eric Chong serves a spherical lime-leaf gimlet on a spoon as a pairing to a hot pot–inspired bite.

Try this at home

Dos and don’ts from Élise Hanson, Civil Works’ Jell-O whiz

Do: Draw inspiration from cocktails you already like. Who wouldn’t love a margarita Jell-O shot?

Do: Focus on cocktails with a balance of sweet and sour. You’ll find a lot more success with fruity drinks—like a daiquiri or cosmo—than with spirit-forward ones.

Don’t: Use too much alcohol, which will prevent your gelatin from setting properly. So will too much acid, so use citrus juice that’s a few days old.

Ingredients 3 cups water 3 cups sugar 60 grams unflavoured gelatin 2¼ cups juice of choice 3 cups base liquor

Method

1. Combine water and sugar over medium heat until the sugar is fully dissolved.

2. Remove from heat and stir in gelatin.

3. Once the gelatin has fully dissolved, add the juice and stir in the booze.

4. Fill moulds and chill in the fridge until set (at least four hours).

Makes 48 shots.

Festive suggestions: Cynar and grapefruit juice make for a nice bitter combo. And any Italian aperitivo—like Campari or Aperol—works well with OJ.