Glow-in-the-Dark Jello Shots

Light up your Halloween party with a round of Glow in the Dark Jello Shots! These classy gelatin treats taste just like a vodka tonic with lime. 

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Glow-in-the-dark jello shots recipe

Every year, I tell you how I don’t looove Halloween. And then I get an idea, and I make it, and at some point during the process I realize that I kinda secretly like Halloween a lot.

I’m not anti-Halloween, but I’m probably not ever going to be the kind of lady who decks her house out with faux spiderwebs. A jack-o-lantern or two is about all I will swing.

I’d rather throw a classy black-and-white party instead, complete with candy cocktails, black cocktails and spiderweb tarts.

And jello shots of course! These glow-in-the-dark are so spooky and silly, and you’ll be surprised what makes them glow under black light — naturally!

Why you’ll love this recipe

I am all in for the special effects though.

Last year I made these Mad Scientist Cocktails, made eerier with dry ice and brightly-colored vodka infused with candy.

These vodka gummy worms are also fun and creepy for a Halloween party.

Edible jello shots that glow in the dark, you ask? Yep. They’re a scream.

• Glow-in-the-dark food you can eat? So fun for an adult Halloween party!
• Jello shots are so easy to make from scratch.
• People love jello shots! They are a great way to get the party started (or keep it going).

Ingredients

These jello shots are not made from boxed jello. They are instead made with unflavored gelatin, which you can mix with just about any liquid to make your own jello flavors.

These jello shots taste like a vodka tonic with lime. You can also use gin to make them like a gin and tonic. Here’s what you will need to make them:

• tonic water (with quinine)
• sugar
• unflavored gelatin (such as Knox)
• limeade
• vodka (or gin)
• lime juice
• optional: lime green sprinkles and metallic nonpareils/dragees

I topped mine with sprinkles because, well, who doesn’t like sprinkles? They also help to give them some texture under the black light, but they’re not totally necessary.

The science behind this recipe

Tonic water contains quinine, which naturally glows in the dark.

It’s actually quite a fun science experiment for kids — follow this tutorial from Scientific American. Here’s why they say it works:

Quinine is made from the bark of a tree and has been used for centuries as a treatment for malaria. Quinine not only gives tonic water a characteristic bitter taste (which is offset today by the addition of sweeteners to bottled tonic water) but this chemical can also be very fluorescent under the right conditions.

Under a black light, water with quinine glows slightly blue. Another fun fact: Quinine is sometimes used to treat malaria. Science is cool.

We picked up a couple of black lights in order to do this photoshoot, and gosh, was it fun. I think it would be so fun to have a glow-in-the-dark Halloween party with these jello shots!

If you want yours to glow in the dark, you’ll need to replace your light bulbs with black lights as well.

Here’s what they look like with and without black light:

Though they are kind of cool in their lime-green state too, right?

Jello Shot cups

There are all kinds of jello shot cups you can use.

These plastic shot glasses, which I use in these photos, are great for shots that look like mini cocktails.

At Halloween, plastic syringes make for a super creepy presentation! They’d be so fun with these glow-in-the-dark treats.

You can also use ice cube trays or even a muffin tin. Make sure to grease them lightly with cooking spray so they will release from their molds easier.

You also don’t even really need molds. These champagne jello shots are instead made in a large pan and then cut into squares.

How to make glow-in-the-dark jello shots

These party treats are actually on the classy side. They’re essentially vodka tonic jello shots, made with limeade and a bit of real lime juice.

You can even make them into gin and tonic jello shots if you’re more of a gin and tonic kind of person!

1. In a medium saucepan, stir together tonic water and sugar until sugar dissolves. Sprinkle gelatin over top and let rest for 5 minutes until the surface is wrinkled.
2. Place the saucepan over the stove on medium heat. Warm the liquid over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Do not let boil. Remove from heat.
3. Whisk in the limeade, vodka/gin and lime juice.
4. Distribute into 12 plastic shot glasses. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours before serving. Keep chilled until serving. Top with sprinkles and/or metallic nonpareils/dragees before serving.

If you’ve never made jello shots from scratch before, check out my Jello Shots 101 crash course which will answer all your questions on how to make them perfectly every time.

Halloween Jello Shots

If you’re in the market for a few jello shot recipes to serve along with these gin & tonic jello shots, try one of these recipes:

• Make Classic Jello Shots from a box with orange-flavored jello to make Halloween orange jello shots.
• Bourbon Apple Cider Jello Shots have all the flavor of fall with homemade cinnamon whiskey and apple cider.
• These layered Candy Corn Jello Shots look just like the candy!
• For a spooky treat, these Gummy Worm Jello Shooters have gummy worms oozing out of the top.
• Colorful Jello shot syringes are also pretty spooky (and fun) for a Halloween party.

Halloween Cocktail Recipes

Last year I made these dry ice cocktails, which are eery with dry ice smoke and brightly-colored vodka infused with candy.

These vodka gummy worms are also fun and creepy for a Halloween party. Homemade candy corn vodka makes for fun cocktails and shooters.

And this melting monster Halloween punch is so fun for the kids’ table!

More Halloween Recipes

Here are some more Halloween recipe inspiration for you!

• Chocolate Mummy Cupcakes 
• Black Velvet Cupcakes
• Mini Monster Cakes