Baby Guinness Irish Coffee Jello Shots

Celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a round of Baby Guinness Irish Coffee Jello Shots! Sweet and boozy, these two-tone, layered gelatin shots taste just like the classic spiked coffee cocktail. 

After I made Champagne Jello Shots at New Year’s, I started realizing all the fun things you can do with gelatin. It’s so interesting to me how you can make just about any drink recipes in jello shot form, from the mojito to the gin & tonic!

Baby Guinness Jello Shots recipe

These little shots look exactly like the jello shot version of Baby Guinness shots and they’re just as fun as Irish car bombs.

I first tried Baby Guinness shots on vacation with my family in Ireland (I promise I was of legal drinking age there!). They taste like an Irish coffee and look like miniature pints of Guinness.

They’re what’s called a “layered shot,” made with a shot of coffee liqueur on the bottom and topped with a float of Irish cream, meaning it is spooned over top.

What could be better?! They’re much sweeter than regular Guinness if you’re not one for a big pint of stout beer! But they look like Guinness beer jello shots.

Baby Guinness vs. Irish coffee

Though they are two different cocktail recipes, the Baby Guinness drink recipe doesn’t taste so different from an Irish coffee. Here’s why:

In a Baby Guinness, you spoon Irish cream like Bailey’s (or better yet, homemade Irish cream!) over top of coffee liqueur like Kahlua to make a shooter.

In an Irish coffee (or iced Irish coffee), you combine coffee and Irish whiskey and top it with whipped cream, often flavored with Irish cream, to make an after-dinner drink.

Either way, they are each a delicious type of alcoholic beverage.

Ingredients

Here’s what you will need to pick up at the store to make these St. Patrick’s Day jello shots:

• 3 envelopes (8 1/4 teaspoons) gelatin powder
• cold coffee (brewed strongly)
• coffee liqueur such as Kahlua OR Irish whiskey, such as Jameson Irish whiskey
• half-and-half or heavy cream
• Irish cream liqueur such as Baileys

For the coffee layer, you can use coffee liqueur to help them taste more like a baby Guinness shot, or you can use Irish whiskey to make them have more of the Irish coffee flavor. Don’t have either? Vanilla vodka would be fine, so would any kind of whiskey. Even rum would work.

For the cream layer, you can use Bailey’s irish cream or something similar like Rumchata, Cape Velvet Cream or Milk Tart liqueur. The top layer can also be poured into cups of its own to make Baileys Irish cream jello shots if you like!

The different taste of each layer comes together so perfectly.

Basic jello shot formula

The Kitchn recommends a basic formula for Jello shots:

(1 cup liquor + 1 cup non-alcoholic liquid + 2 envelopes (5 1/2 teaspoons) gelatin powder) x 4 hours chilling time = 16 1-ounce Jello Shots

Essentially, you can add gelatin to any liquid and any alcohol, as long as you keep the ratios consistent.

Serve your little Guinness beers in cute little plastic shot glasses, and they make a fun party treat. 

How to make baby guinness irish coffee jello shots

Though it seems complex, you’ll find this recipe for cool cocktail shooters rather easy to make.

In short, you’re going to make two kinds of boozy gelatin mixtures: The bottom layer is made with coffee gelatin, made boozier with coffee liqueur or Irish whiskey. (I’m giving you two options for this recipe: You can make Baby Guinness Jello Shots with coffee liqueur OR Irish Coffee Jello Shots with Irish whiskey.)

The second layer is Irish cream gelatin, made boozier with Irish cream liqueur like Bailey’s Irish Cream. Here’s how we’ll do it:

1. Each of the gelatin mixtures is made on the stove. You’ll “bloom” the gelatin first, then warm up the mixtures to dissolve the gelatin. Don’t let it boil.
2. You will layer the dark coffee mixture in your shooter cups first, then let that set up a little bit in the fridge before you make and add the cream layer.
3. Once the bottom layer has set, you’ll add your Irish cream gelatin mixture on top of the dark coffee base of the jello shot. Then let that set up until your jello shots are all ready for enjoyment! 

Variations & substitutions

You can make your St. Patrick’s Day Jello Shots sweeter like a Baby Guinness or sturdier like an Irish coffee. It will come down to how much you fill your shot glass cups with the coffee gelatin mixture, and how much cream gelatin you add on the top. 

You can make these without alcohol by making up the difference with non-alcoholic items. You can use zero-proof coffee liqueur or simply more coffee. For the Irish cream layer, I’d recommend making your own Irish cream with zero-proof whiskey.

To make them fancier, you can add a dollop of Baileys Whipped Cream on top or add some chocolate sprinkles.

St. Patrick’s Day Recipes

There are so many delicious dishes you can make for St. Paddy’s Day. The usual fare is Irish soda bread and corned beef.

For dessert, there’s Guinness Chocolate Cake or, for breakfast, you can enjoy Chocolate Guinness Donuts with Irish Coffee Glaze.

For a warm March day, try a Guinness ice cream float, these layered Irish Coffee Popsicles or a refreshing Irish Mule to help you celebrate!

And if you’re looking for green cocktails, make a drink with this herbal limeade or a green mimosa.

P.S. By the way, I teamed up with a bunch of awesome bloggers to put on a huge St. Patrick’s Day party. Colleen from Lemon Thistle coordinated it all, and she has all the details on her blog. We have lots of tips for styling your own St. Paddy’s party, so be sure to check out the cool DIY projects and delicious eats from our friends!

Baby Guinness Irish Coffee Jello Shots

Yield: 12

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 30 minutes minutes

Set Time: 5 hours hours

Total Time: 6 hours hours

A layered gelatin treat for St. Patrick’s Day that tastes of Irish coffee and the popular Baby Guinness shots

4.45 from 9 votes

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ingredients

For coffee layer (bottom)

• 1 cup coffee
• ½ cup water
• 1 cup coffee liqueur OR Irish whiskey
• 2 envelopes 5 1/2 teaspoons gelatin powder

For cream layer (top)

• ½ cup half-and-half or heavy cream
• ½ cup water
• ½ cup Baileys Irish cream
• 1 envelope 2 3/4 teaspoons gelatin powder

instructions

• Prepare molds. (I used shot glass-sized plastic cups, but you can also use cupcake wrappers or mini-muffin tins.) Spray them lightly with cooking spray.

Coffee layer (bottom)

• Whisk coffee and water together in a small saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin over top and allow to rest for 5 minutes until gelatin is softened and the liquid’s surface appears slightly wrinkled.
• Warm the liquid over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Do not let boil. Remove from heat.
• Whisk in the Kahlua or Irish whiskey.
• Next, fill the molds. Distribute the liquid evenly among the molds, leaving enough room for a second layer. Refrigerate until firm, approximately 30 minutes to 1 hour.

Cream layer (top)

• Whisk half-and-half and water together in a small saucepan. Sprinkle gelatin over top and allow to rest for 5 minutes until gelatin is softened and the liquid’s surface appears slightly wrinkled.
• Warm the liquid over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Do not let boil. Remove from heat.
• Whisk in the Irish cream.
• Fill the molds. Distribute the liquid evenly among the half-filled molds. Refrigerate shots 3 to 4 hours more before serving.
• Serve. If using a mold (in lieu of cups), dip the bottom of the pan into hot water for 5 seconds. Run a paring knife around the edge of the Jell-O to loosen. Flip out the molds onto a wax paper-lined surface. Keep chilled until serving. Sprinkle with more sanding sugars before serving.

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unflavored gelatin

1-ounce plastic shot glasses

nutrition information

Yield: 12

amount per serving:

Serving: 1jello shot Calories: 243kcal Carbohydrates: 23g Fat: 2g Saturated Fat: 1g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Cholesterol: 6mg Sodium: 13mg Sugar: 23g

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