When it comes to summer and hot Sacramento days, it can be nice to sit down and relax with a nice glass of iced lemonade. Summertime is right around the corner and everyone knows what that means: poolside parties and barbecues. To change things up when hosting a summer party, turn that glass of lemonade into raspberry-lemonade Jell-O shot pops – a new twist on classic Jell-O shots.

Ingredients

1 box each raspberry Jell-O and lemon Jell-O

2 cans of frozen lemonade concentrate

Water

2 cups of raspberry vodka, any brand

Cooking supplies

One or two medium-sized pots

A 50-pack of miniature Dixie cups

One cookie sheet for the chilling process

A pack of craft sticks (popsicle sticks)

Cupcake liners

The first thing to do is pour one cup of water and the lemonade concentrate into a pot. Keep the heat low because the lemonade concentrate will melt quickly. Once the water and concentrate are blended together, pour in the first box of Jell-O. Stir slowly to avoid any chunks.

After the Jell-O has dissolved, slowly stir in your preferred amount of vodka. One cup should be plenty for one box. Now, turn off the heat and let that sit for another minute.

Here comes the messy part: It’s time to pour the Jell-O mixture into the Dixie cups. The cleanest way is to fill the cups over the pot using a ladle or measuring cups.

Fill the cup to the halfway mark, or slightly over, and set it on a cookie sheet. When all of the cups are filled with the first flavor of Jell-O, the first box is done.

Repeat the steps with the second box. Don’t forget to use only one box of Jell-O at a time – the separated colors go well with the raspberry lemonade theme.

After all of the cups are filled from both flavors, it’s time to remodel the inside of the refrigerator. The filled cups should fit on one cookie sheet so it shouldn’t take up that much room. For the best results, leave the Jell-O shots in the refrigerator overnight. If it’s a spur-of-the-moment idea, they will be decent in two to three hours.

Once the Jell-O shots chill, dress those things up and get them ready for the party. To get the shots out of the Dixie cups, rip down one side of the cup and gently tear around the Jell-O until it can slide out of the cup and plop on a plate. Cut each Jell-O shot in half.

Cut the craft sticks in half and lay out all of the cupcake liners on a serving plate or platter.

Poke each half of the Jell-O shots with a craft stick and place them in a liner. If the Jell-O shots are being prepared a few hours before the party, set them in the refrigerator until it begins. But once the party gets started, hand those things out, impress a few people and enjoy.

Candice DeVries can be reached at [email protected]