N is for: Niners, New Orleans & the Super Bowl {French 75 Jello Shots}

I have a confession to make.

Sometimes I dream about jello shots.

I know. It’s weird. And probably a problem. But not when it comes to my lovely and loyal blog readers…especially those who will be rooting for the 49ers on Super Bowl Sunday.

As many of my friends know, I love me a good French 75, which consists of Champagne (love my bubbles), sugar, lemon juice and gin. While I’m not normally a gin drinker, somehow the tartness and sweetness balance out the “I just ate one of those pine tree car fresheners” taste.

I’ve been wanting to make a jello shot version of this cocktail for quite some time…and decided the Super Bowl would be the perfect opportunity.

After all, champagne is THE drink for celebrating championships…and I think the “French” part of the drink fits in perfectly with the French influence in New Orleans. To celebrate the 49ers, I needed to make them red and gold…and that’s how I dreamed up these brilliant boozy bites.

To get that classic French 75 taste, you’ll need champagne, gin, lemon juice and sugar. To turn them into a jello shot, you’ll need some Knox unflavored gelatin, and to make them red and gold for the 49ers….maraschino cherries and gold sugar sprinkles!

First, prep your pan and cherries. Lightly spray a mini muffin tin with cooking spray and then wipe out with a paper towel. This will leave just enough residue to help pop them out later without affecting the taste. As for the cherries, dry them off and gently shave off the bottom of the cherry so they will stand upright. (Assist to That’s So Michelle for the idea).

To make the jello mixture, pour 2 3/4 cups of champagne into a small sauce pan with 1/4 cup of lemon juice. Wait until the bubbles calm down and then add sugar and sprinkle with 3.5 packets of Knox gelatin. Allow gelatin to “bloom” and soak in a minute or two. (In the meantime, feel free to pour yourself a glass of champagne with the remaining amount left in the bottle).

Heat over medium heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin and sugar have both dissolved. Stir in 1/2 cup of gin. Pour into a mini muffin pan and stand a cherry upright in each cavity. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or preferably overnight. (To dislodge, you might need to gently run a butter knife around the edges of each jello shot).

If you don’t own a mini muffin pan, you can also pour into a regular shallow pan. (Just make sure the liquid does not cover the cherries because they will float and not stand upright). Once set, use a cookie cutter to cut shapes. I used this flower-shaped cutter, which would be super cute for Valentine’s Day as well!

Now for the gold! I was perfectly content to allow the slightly golden hue of the champagne to serve as the gold portion of these Red & Gold beauties…and then…I saw…THESE. Gold sprinkles in the Valentine’s Day section of my local grocery store. (TOUCHDOWN!!!) It was like they were calling my name. They were really the icing on the cake…or in this case, the sprinkles on my Super Bowl jello shots. All you have to do is sprinkle some on a plate and dip/roll your shots in the sprinkles.

Place on a plate and serve immediately! (*Note: don’t dip shots in the sprinkles until just before serving, as they will start to melt from the sprinkles. Alternately, you could serve the shots with a bowl of sprinkles for guests to dip on their own).

These are sure to be a major SCORE at your Super Bowl parties…and may they bring the 49ers lots of lucky New Orleans voodoo on Super Bowl Sunday.