These Shots Are on Fire! Sriracha Shotcha!

Hello Gelophiles,

Happy Almost New Year! I was hard at work on a special shot inspired by Dr. Hammer, the resident Jellyfishologist (a studier of all fish jelly).

If she were here right now, she'd want you to know that 1) Jellyfish are not fish, but Cnidarians, 2) When there are many fish of the same kind they are referred to as fish, however if there many different kinds of fish then they are indeed fishes, and 3) she'd also like to let you know she loves Sriracha, the sauce of her soul.

When we were in D.C. for a convention, she took me to an amazing hamburger joint called, Good Stuff Eatery. It was started up by Chef Spike, a past contestant on Top Chef. The menu had a variety of hamburger, fries, milkshakes, and best of all -flavored mayonnaises. This was a phenomenon that took hold fifteen years ago in Montreal, where fat and grease are welcome, but now Good Stuff is telling us in the U.S. to no longer condemn this condiment. (Incidently, the acidity in mayonnaise retards bacteria growth. Poor mayonnaise always getting the bad wrap at a pic-nic.)

Back to the gelatin shot, so Drs. Hammer, Borrelli, and I sat around the table and discussed the novel uses for Sriracha:

-Contact lens solution enhancer? No.
-Eye make-up remover? No.
-Jello shot flavor? Yes!

So here they are, two months later.........

Pineapple Coconut Sricracha Shotcha!



These shots are two layered:

Pineapple layer
Pineapple gelatin - 3oz box
coconut water- 1 cup
crushed pineapple (drained) - 1/4 cup
coconut rum - 1 cup
Knox gelatin - 1 envelope

Coconut layer
Coconut milk - 1/2 cup
Coconut water - 1/2 cup
Knox gelatin
Sriracha - to taste ( I added 1 teaspoon)

Sriracha and cilantro leaves for garnish.



These gelatin confections pack a punch. The sweet combined with the fire blends deliciously. However, you might need a traditional shot to quench the fire.

This batch was just the first of the many Sriracha explorations to come.

Enjoy!

Jelly bells, Jelly bells, it's Christmastime in my belly..

Hello Gelophiles,

Here are the shots I created last week for the holiday festivities. Unfortunately I only had my three year old iphone, so the photo isn't great. (Sorry Apple)



The red layer is sugar free Wild Strawberry gelatin and the green, sugar free lime. Sugar-free, just cuz. I used the back to porch as a freezer and man, did they jellify quick. It is imperative that the first layer not solidify too much or the second layer won't stick. Luckily, the layers adhered and the eaters of the shots were satisfied.

Not much else to report.... yet. But just you wait for tomorrow. I am unleashing a whole new gelatin shot that will knock your socks off. So you best put on some socks in anticipation. Keep tuned...

Fun for all that children call their favorite time of year....

Hello fellow gelologists,

Just cuz it's tis the season, I'm making some festive gelatin shots. Simple red and green bi-layers in a reeses cup. I'll get fancier soon enough.

Today marks the official start of gelatin season. Yes, I know many people think of summer, where picnics abound and cool and fruity jell-o refreshes the palette. But winter is really the time where mass quantities can be produced. What a better freezer than the great outdoors. I just put a tray of shots on the porch. (Don't worry they are covered in saran wrap) and they should be set in no time.

While I wait, it's time for some Christmas music! It's not appropriate to hear such tunes outside of the acceptable Christmas song season (Black Friday > Christmas music listening < January 2nd) That's how I mathematically equate the appropriate time. Right now The Waitresses are rocking out, then some good ol' Vince Guaraldi, followed by Ella. AND of course time to watch the Charlie Brown Christmas special. It's full of incomprehensible jokes to a seven year old (I want restitution ?!?!), oddly sad and yet the most satisfying all the Christmas specials. In celebration, here is the always pleasing dance sequence.



Enjoy the first official day of Winter and I'll have some gelatin pics for you tomorrow.

Scooby Doo Mystery Shot

What could this be?


Wait for it..


Wait for it....



Boo Yeah!


Hello Gelophiles,

I wanted to create a gelatin shot that combined the Science and Engineering Festival I went to last weekend and Halloween. What could I do? What could I make?

I went to the local Blood Bath and Beyond and searched their kitchen department. Do stores like that even have departments anymore? I think I am dating myself. Anyway, I found these Halloween cookie cutters and loved the ghost shape.

Back at home, I thought about all the science booths that I saw in DC, and the one I loved the most was an interactive fly over Greenland and map glaciers. The aerial views of Greenland are spectacular and quickly disappearing.

Here is my attempt to honor the glacial views, haunting spirits, and alcoholic spirits.

Glacial Ghosts
Blue gelatin
Lime gelatin
Sweetened Condense milk
Knox gelatin
Svedka berry vodka
Peach Schnapps

I would have gotten away with these shots if it hadn't been for you meddling kids!

White House, Red House, Blue House

Hello Gelophiles.

I am in Washington D.C for a science education conference on the Mall. In honor of the visit to the Capital CIty, I pulled out the White House gelatin molds I made back in 2008. You can see the whole process of how they were created in that blog.

For today's shots, I just wanted to reflect the conflicted views my fellow Americans are having with the present political parties. Here are the White House shots, red and blue, so that you can lean toward your political views and then hopefully lean against something when you've had too many.




I refuse to make them in a tea flavor.

The shots are Da Bomb!

Hello Gelophiles,

What's black, fruity, and packs a powerful punch? It's the black cherry bomb shot.

The Players:



I made a grape gelatin base with whiskey, vodka, and grenadine. In the center of the bomb is a marschino cherry soaked in vodka. And the final piece is a licorice fuse. And KA-POW!

Tonic Shot: Part 3 of 3

Hello Gelophiles,

Here is the final installment of this three part series. I wanted to create a shot with a forensics feel. You know, what if there were hidden prints and shapes in the shots that only presented themselves under the correct lighting.

The alternating layers were:

Orange gelatin
Svedka vodka
Peach Schnapps

and

Tonic water
Knox Gelatin


Here are the results:

Regular Light

Black Light

Jello Jotz or Jitterz

Hello Gelophiles,

I was trying to figure out how to make gelatin that didn't have booze in it. I know, I know, why bother living? But hear me out, what if, I say, what if there was a jello shot that was good for you? What if there was a jello shot that could boost your performance? What if there was an anti-oxidant, energy shot!

And now there is. Thank goodness I am a trained scientists. I had convert measurements to milligrams, use a scale, run a whole taste testing study. But I think they turned out well.

Here is the first batch of...

Blueberry Buzz Buzz Jotz. Or Jitters. I can't decide which name I like better.

The players:


The shot.

One shot is equal to the caffeine of half a cup of coffee. Caffeine powder is a tricky beast. It could kill you if you add too much, and it adds a a heavy bitter taste to the shots. More experimentation with gelatin flavors, juices, and fruits is called for. Taste testers, get your tongues ready.

Dicey Shots

Hello Gelophiles,

At first they look like ordinary dice.....

Today's shot was inspired by a late night backgammon game. Wouldn't it be fun to play with what you eat and eat with what you play? So I made some edible dice.

Ingredients:

The Dice
Cola
Black food coloring
Vodka

The Numbers
Water
Sweetened Condensed Milk
Knox Gelatin

After the gelatin was set, I cut the sheet into cubes and using a straw cored out the number holes. Then I added drops of the white gelatin into the holes and set in a freezer until firm.





They're so good that Lady Gaga is going to make a dress of them and sing "Can eat my, can eat my, yes you can eat my poker dice, they're made from jello and some vodka."

Polka Dot Shots aka "Funfetti"

Playing around in the kitchen on Sunday, I started to have fun with gelatin graffiti. I dipped a fork into some green gelatin and let the liquid drip off the tynes onto the surface of some solidified orange gelatin. Nothing dramatic, but I liked the idea.

I made a clear gelatin with sprite, simple syrup, tonic water, and some citric acid. After pouring a thin layer into a 9x9 pan, I let it set and then decorated the surface with red, green, blue, and yellow gelatin. The room temperature gelatin danced around the surface of the clear solidified gelatin. It was incredibly cool. The droplets solidified within a few seconds from just coldness of the clear layer. I then poured more clear gelatin, refrigerated it, and then repeated with the dots.


As a child, I had this book about a polar bear at the zoo that could make different colored dots appear on it's fur. The illustrations were vibrant and mesmerizing; these shots bring back that same soporific effect. Maybe I just ate too many of them.



I really loved the polka dot layering effect that came out and look forward to going further with it. Credit must be given to my co-worker Julia for the re-naming of the shots. Hooray forFunfetti!



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Kandy Korn Shots

Hello Gelophiles,

Life is accepting challenges. So this weekend I was challenged to design a shot for a Halloween party. Something festive, themey, and delicious. The first thing that came to me was, "Can you melt Candy Corns and put them into gelatin." And just like that, my scientific brain deduced that 1) They are made from mostly sugar and corn syrup, and 2) gelatin is mostly sugar and protein, 3) the sigmoid curve of the viscosity must be equal to one over infinity. Therefore, by the asymptotic angle side angle postulate, candy corn must be dissolvable in gelatin!

I bought a bag of candy corn and had a grand ol' time dividing them into their separate component colors. Come on, who doesn't bite off each color with their front teeth, slowly torturing the poor candy corn from the bottom up, leaving the creamy white head for last? It can't be just me?

It's probably just me.

Anyway, after meticulous candy corn dissecting, I dissolved each color segregated layer into an appropriate gelatin and fortified with some unflavored knox.

Here are the players in our delicious challenge:


Through the ancient art of alchemy, the recombine to form these:



And with the artistic stylings by Allison, here's what a zombie hand holding a devil pumpking eating one of my shots might look like.

German Gello Schatze!

Hello Gelophiles,

A co-worker of mine brought me a bunch of gelatin products from her last trip back to the Rhineland. I realize I've become one of those people who is fixated on a product or symbol and whose friends build upon that. One day you like unicorns and the next you have a living room chock full of Unicorn figurines. I'm not talking from experience....

So with the translational aid of Britta, we created some German Gello Schatze. This was the first batch. We used the excitingly named Gotter Speise and added vodka, Kirsch, and just a splash of Jaegermeister.

We were feeling kind of lazy so we just let it solidify in the bowl and ate it with spoons.

Here's Britta doing her best stern German girl face. She actually blurred the camera. Schnell schnel! Raus! That's all I know how to say in German.

Edible Petri dishes

Hello Gelophiles,

Here's a little dedication to the scientists who also like to let loose and eat edible treats. I used apple juice for the agar-like gelatin and then tried to figure out what could look like bacteria colonies, but still, well you know, look like you want to eat it.

It was simple, i just used a fork to add drops of green gelatin onto the solidified apple gelatin. Suddenly I wonder why there isn't apple Jell-o. I feel like there was at one time. There are also used to be Jell-o 1 2 3 which separated into three distinct layers. Jello, a frothy solid mixture, and a hybrid interface. Again, that disappeared off the shelves. Maybe there is a Jell-o failure conspiracy.

Here are the photos.

Caramel Apple Cider Shots

Hello Gelophiles,

Today's shots were inspired by a recent apple picking outing. Back in California every transplanted east coaster says "Gee, I miss the fall. You could go apple picking." Well, as a former transplant back who's now back on the East Coast just let me say this, no one ever goes apple picking. You try, you think about, but you don't. And fall is cold. Don't even get me started on winter.

Finally after four years back, I finally went. And it was fun. And we ate apples. But the real fun came from thinking about how I jellify and boozy up this confection. Here's my attempt.

Caramel Apple Cider Shots
Apple Cider
Maple Syrup
Knox Gelatin
Sugar
Dark Rum
Cinnamon Schnapps
Homemade caramel
Chopped Peanuts


The next time someone tells you they want to move back to the East Coast because they miss the seasons, feed them these shots and tell them the seasons are overrated.

Supersonic Tonic Shots

Hello Gelophiles,

In today's second part of a three parter series, I created a glowing gin and tonic shot. I'm a fan of Hendrick's Gin combined with some tonic and lime wedge. Be it known that the gin and tonic came about as a way of battling malaria. The story goes that the British were having a bad go and the mosquito-borne disease and at the time, Quinine was the only known palliative. Quinine was dissolved in water to create tonic water and then mixed with gin and lime juice to quell the bitter taste. Thus was born the gin and tonic.

Take it forward a hundred years or so and this delicious drink has been Gelologinized into a delicious viscous treat.

Super Sonic Tonic Shot
Hendricks Gin
Tonic Water
Unflavored gelatin
Lime Juice
Lime curls

Thanks to Allison Planka-Gray for the souped up version of the main photo. They weren't really taken in space. But if you have too many, you'll definitely sees stars.

Turn on your black light..... Part 1

Hello Gelophiles,

This is an idea I've had for a while, but it's going to be a multiple-parter. Here's part one, the testing ground. My tenth grade biology teacher once told me that tonic water (aka Quinine) glows under a black light. As does cat urine. Hmmm. So what would happen if I made a gelatin shot out of quinine?

In this first part of a very special gelology blog, I made a sciency gel. I combined tonic water and unflavored gelatin to see what it would look like. Here are the preliminary results.

Here's the gel under normal light. I added drops of food coloring to try and simulate a DNA gel used in forensics.

And now, here's the gel under blacklight!


I'm looking forward to playing around with this idea. Stay tuned for part two. Don't worry, it doesn't involve cat urine.

Turn on your blacklight. In the middle of a science geeks dream.....

Minty Pineapply Mojito Madness

Hello Gelophiles!

A trip back to my high school homeland inspired a little gelatin shot madness. Through my friend Thea, we created these beautiful shots and had a great time getting all fancy schmancy with the photo shoot. Recently I've been neglecting the aesthetic side of the presentation. When my main customers are 208 flag football players exhausted from hours of game playing, I focus on quantity and not photographic quality.

So here is the return to style. A big thanks to Thea and Allison.

I hope you enjoy.

Minty Pineapply Mojito Madness

Lime gelatin
Pineapple juice (not fresh!)
Lime juice (fresh)
Muddled Mint leaves
Rum
Simple Syrup

"How Much More Black Can This Be? And The Answer Is, None."

Name the source of the quote and win a free gelatin shot. WITHOUT Googling it or using any other internet search engine!

The start of the flag football league is upon us. Last week was the very important choosing of the color followed by the picking of a name. Now, this is not just any flag football league. There are 208 members, sixteen teams, and sixteen games every Saturday. It is a well organized, professional rec league, that is chock full of creative peeps. So, the color is very important as your name needs to incorporate it. Past names have been "We're Bringing Sexy Black", "Nobody Puts Baby Blue In the Corner" and my personal favorite " And Then There's Mauve." But more importantly for me, the color of the team will guide my gelatin shot concoctions for the next two months.

This year's team is headed by Robert Saurer and the color he chose was......Black. Black! Of all the possible colors the two I hoped we wouldn't get were black and silver. And yep, we got black. The people around me tried to console me with such sayings as, "You could make a licorice gelatin shot." Two thoughts, first- Yuk! Second, name a black licorice liquid that you could dissolve gelatin into? None.

So after a quick google search (hey, I can use it, just not you. no cheating!) I found that the Jell-O website had a color scheme specifically for football gelatin teams. (Damn, I really want to work for them) So according to the site black= 2 boxes of grape (purple) and one box of lime (green). The only problem is grape Jell-0 is becoming increasingly rare. You may not realize this, but the variety of Jell-O flavors available on the supermarket shelves is decreasing. Jobs, unemployment benefits, and yeah, Jell-O. It's a tough world out there. Don't even try to find pineapple.

Luckily I had a couple of boxes of grape squirreled away in my cupboard. If ever the apocalypse comes and you want some Jell-O, I have it. Except for grape, I used it all up today. So, I veered from the guidelines and mixed in some other Jell-o colors, then added some food coloring (but not too much because it will leak out of the shot and stain fingers, tongues, and well.. it affects what exits your body too.) But enough about that.

Here is my latest creation, the Black Mamba #5 Gelatin Shot.


What I really love about this one is the Milky Way that appeared on the surface. So here are the first official shots for Team: Black and Deckya.