Moscow Mule Jello Shots

Ginger lovers will adore these Moscow Mule Jello Shots! Made with ginger beer, lime juice and vodka (or your choice of mule spirit), these cocktail-inspired jello shots are sure to impress.

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Calling all Moscow mule lovers! These jello shots are for you.

That’s right — you don’t have to be in college to enjoy a jello shot!

Jello shots can be a fun adult treat to celebrate birthdays, holidays and other occasions. Try them for a beach day or a tailgate.

Moscow Mule Jello Shots recipe

While you could make classic jello shots with boxed jello, it’s nice to play with real gelatin to make cocktails in jello shot form.

For example, these margarita jello shots are a hit with tequila and lime, and maybe a salt rim!

If you love ginger flavor and/or a mule cocktail, then you will love these jello shots AKA jelly shots or jell-o shots.

You will love this recipe because…

• These jello shots taste exactly like the classic Moscow mule cocktail — sweet and gingery with a hint of lime!
• You can customize them with your favorite spirit, such as bourbon or tequila.
• They are incredibly easy to make. You’ll wonder why you’ve used boxed mixes before!

If you’re in the mood for a mule party, you can also make Frozen Moscow Mules or even Moscow Mule Cookies to go along with these jello shots!

What is a Moscow Mule?

The traditional Moscow Mule recipe is an easy, 3-ingredient cocktail made from vodka, lime juice and ginger beer.

Refreshing and flavorful, this drink is often served in copper mugs. The metal helps to keep the drink ice-cold.

You can make a mule with all kinds of spirits and even add flavor additions. It is a very versatile drink in that way.

The Moscow mule gets its name from Russian vodka; however, the recipe — and the name — can be easily tweaked by varying the spirit.

For example, the French mule is made with brandy and the Czech mule is made with a liqueur from the Czech Republic called Becherovka.

Ingredients

Here’s what to add to your shopping list to make these Moscow mule jello shots.

Sugar

To get the subtle, light color of these jello shots, you’ll need to use cane sugar or granulated white sugar.

If you use brown sugar, it will give the shots a much darker, caramel color that won’t be as pretty or mule-like. However, the taste will be very similar.

Lime Juice

For a more fresh taste, use freshly-squeezed lime juice. However, the store-bought concentrate works just fine in a pinch or if you don’t feel like juicing a ton of limes!

Unflavored Gelatin

Plain gelatin is great for making all kinds of jello shots that don’t come from a colorful mix.

I buy Knox unflavored gelatin for all of my jello shots. I prefer to buy the packets rather than a jar because the packets stay shelf-stable in my pantry until I’m ready to use them.

Vodka

As I always say, use the best you can afford — my go-to advice for anything with drink mixing. In my Vodka 101 post, I’ll tell you how to pick out a bottle of vodka.

My go-to brands are Tito’s, Deep Eddy and Absolut. Gin, tequila, bourbon and rum can also be substituted if you’d prefer them.

If you like, you can substitute vodka for a number of other spirits. Try rum or spiced rum, tequila, bourbon and gin for different flavor profiles. (See the substitutions section below for more ideas!)

Lime Juice

I recommend fresh lime juice if you have it on hand, but feel free to use a good quality lime concentrate. I use one of these citrus squeezers to get the most juice out of my limes.

Though lime is traditional, you are welcome to use fresh lemon juice instead.

favorite juicers

citrus press juicer

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glass citrus juicer

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electric juicer

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Ginger Beer

Ginger beer is a carbonated, non-alcoholic beverage that is made from fermented ginger.

For best results, I recommend a medium to strong one, so that all the flavors of ginger beer make their way into your jello shots.

Personally, I prefer the strong flavor of a spicy ginger beer. Spicy ginger beers have a stronger zing of ginger flavor, but you can go milder here if you like. Check out my list of the best brands of ginger beer to help you decide on a spice level that’s right for you.

Ginger ale is merely a ginger-flavored soda. It is much sweeter than ginger beer, so you may wind up with pretty sweet jello shots. But, I doubt anyone will notice!

Garnishes

To give these jello shots a cocktail vibe, I garnished them with cut-up pieces of these lime gummy candies. Feel free to use small wedges of fresh lime or a few sprigs of fresh mint — or skip the garnish altogether.

Best cups for jello shots

I prefer to use jello shot cups with lids when I am making a lot because they make for easy storage by stacking in the fridge. The lids also protect the smooth tops when transporting them. (These are essentially the 2-ounce plastic cups for condiments, which you can find at restaurant supply stores as well.)

These plastic shot glasses, which I use in these glow-in-the-dark jello shots, are great if you don’t need lids. They also work well for shots that will look like a miniature classic cocktail.

These Moscow mule jello shots would also be super cute served in a lime shell. Halve 6 limes and hollow out the fruit so you’re left with the shells. Use these as your jello cups. Once set, you can slice them into lime wedges!

Do you remember jello jigglers? These shots can also be made in a similar style. Pour the mixture into a lightly greased baking dish or jelly roll pan, then cut them into squares with a thin knife or shapes with a cookie cutter.

For Halloween, these syringes for jello shots make for a macabre presentation! (Especially if you serve them next to a bowl of vodka gummy worms.)

If you’re feeling fancy, you pour a few into these copper mug shots glasses. But honestly, you don’t need anything fancier than a mini muffin tin!

How to make Moscow Mule Jello Shots

Even if the steps look daunting, I promise this recipe is super easy! Here’s what to do:

1. Measure out the ginger beer and set it aside for 15-30 minutes while you get your ingredients ready. This will help some of the carbonation dissipate, but not go flat.
2. Mist 12 cups or molds lightly with cooking spray. (Skip this step if using lime shells.) I store mine on a tray or baking sheet to transport them to the fridge easily.
3. In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar and ginger beer. Stir until sugar dissolves. Do not boil. Remove from heat.
4. Add the lime juice to a medium bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over top of the liquid and allow to rest for 5 minutes until gelatin is softened and the liquid’s surface appears slightly wrinkled.
5. Stir the lime-gelatin mixture into the ginger beer mixture. Warm over medium heat for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring until gelatin is completely dissolved. Do not let boil. Remove from heat. Stir in the vodka.
6. Then, pour into each prepared shot vessel. Distribute evenly among the molds.
7. Refrigerate 3 to 4 hours before serving. If using lime shells, cut in half to create lime wedges before serving.

How to eat jello shots

To eat jello shots, rub your finger around the edges of each shot to loosen the gelatin from the cup. (If you grease the cups slightly before pouring the mixture in, this will be easier.) Then you can suck the shot out!

If you prefer, you could use a spoon to scoop out the jello from each boozy shot. There are really no rules!

These plastic jello shot cups are made in an “easy squeeze” design especially for getting out tricky jello shots.

Can you freeze jello shots?

No, jello shots do not freeze well. You can make them a couple of days in advance of your event, however.

Can you get drunk from jello shots?

Technically, yes, but it may take quite a few. There’s actually not that much alcohol in one shot (roughly 4 jello shots = 1 ounce of booze).

Variations and substitutions

While vodka is the star of the classic Moscow mule recipe, you can also make these with other spirits to mimic different kinds of mules. This is one of my favorite things about mules!

• Try bourbon for jello shots that taste like a Kentucky Mule.
• Use Irish whiskey for Irish mule jello shots.
• Mix in gin for a gin-gin mule flavor.
• Use dark rum for dark & stormy jello shots.
• Try mezcal or tequila for Mexican mule jello shots.
• Try spicy tequila for a spicy jalapeño Moscow mule flavor.

For non-alcoholic jello shots, use 1 cup of zero-proof alcohol, such as Ritual gin alternative or Ritual rum alternative, in lieu of the alcohol. You can also substitute an extra ⅔ cup ginger beer and ⅓ cup lime juice.

More jello shot recipes

Jello shots are a fun way to add pizzazz to any gathering. Try one of these based on cocktail recipes:

• These champagne jello shots are perfect for celebrating.
• Apple cider bourbon jello shots have a hint of cinnamon from homemade Fireball.
• Made with mint and rum, these mojito jello shots are a surefire hit.
• Irish coffee jello shots look like the real deal and are great for St. Paddy’s Day.
• Sweet and tart Paloma jello shots have a grapefruit base, just like the famous tequila cocktail.
• Yes, Gin & tonic jello shots really glow in the dark! They are great for Halloween.