Cinco De Mayo Jello Shots with Jalapeno Pineapple Tequila
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It’s Cinco De Mayo, which means margaritas, Mexican food, and Cinco de Mayo Jello Shots!
Made with three liquors – Pineapple Jalapeño Tequila, Grand Marnier, and Cherry Liqueur, these shots pack a punch of flavor that will keep the fiesta going all night long!
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The full ingredients list and instructions are found in the printable recipe card at the end of this post. I highly recommend reading the blog post all the way through so that you don’t miss any tips or substitution suggestions and ensure that you have all the ingredients and equipment required and understand the steps and timings involved.
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Cinco De Mayo Jello Shots
Celebrate Cinco De Mayo in style with these colorful jello shots!
Made with layers of green, white, and red jello, these shots represent the colors of the Mexican flag.
Mixed with pineapple jalapeño tequila, Grand Marnier, and cherry liqueur, they pack a sweet and spicy punch.
Topped with whipped cream, brightly colored sprinkles, and fresh lime, these Cinco De Mayo Jello Shots are delicious and visually stunning.
They are an excellent way to kick off any Cinco De Mayo fiesta or as a boozy dessert after Mexican or Tex-Mex food.
So if you’re looking for something unique to serve at your next celebration, this recipe is sure to please!
And for more party drinks, you have to look through our Unique Margarita Recipes!
Ingredients For Cinco De Mayo Jello Shots
For your convenience, I’ve linked any specialized ingredients needed for this recipe to Amazon below.
- Starburst Watermelon Gelatin – or other flavored (lime works well) green jello/jelly.
- Cherry Jell-O – or other flavored red jello/jelly
- Green Food Coloring
- Red Food Coloring
- Gelatin
- Condensed Milk – the combination of this ingredient and gelatin will form the white layer in this jello shot.
- Lime Juice
- Danos Pineapple & Jalapeno Tequila – sadly not available in the UK as far as I can tell, however, you could experiment by mixing a pineapple tequila with a chili tequila to use in the shots.
- Grand Marnier – a French liqueur made with cognac, bitter orange, and sugar.
- Luxardo Maraschino Cherry Liqueur – a liqueur made with marasca cherries, a type of sour morello cherry. It is reputed to attain its finest flavor when grown in coastal Croatia (specifically Dalmatia).
- Whipped Cream – for garnish.
- Red, White & Green Sprinkles – for garnish.
- Gold Sanding Sugar Sprinkles – for garnish.
- Fresh Lime – cut into slices, then cut into quarters/fourths, for garnish.
- Tall 2-oz Shot Glasses
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How Do I Make Cinco De Mayo Jello Shots?
Step 1 – Make Green Layer: Place the green jello into a bowl and pour boiling water over the top. Stir to dissolve then stir in the cold water.
Add Pineapple Jalapeño Tequila, and a drop of green food coloring to the bowl and stir to combine.
Divide the green mixture between 12 shot glasses about ⅓ of the way up. Place the glasses into the refrigerator for 2 hours to set.
Step 2 – Make White Layer: Place 1 cup of room temperature water in a medium bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over. Stir to combine and set it aside for 5 minutes.
After 5 minutes, pour the sweetened condensed milk, and Grand Marnier into the bowl and stir to combine.
Pour the white mixture over the set green layer of each shot glass about ⅔ of the way up. Place the glasses back into the refrigerator for 2 hours to set.
Step 3 – Make Red Layer: Place the red jello into a bowl and pour boiling water over the top. Stir to dissolve then stir in the cold water.
Add cherry liqueur, and a drop of red food coloring to the bowl and stir to combine.
Pour the red mixture over the set white layer of the jello shots. Place the glasses back into the refrigerator for 2 hours to set.
Step 4 – Garnish Jello Shots: You can serve the Cinco de May jello shots as is, or garnish with whipped cream, a sprinkling of gold sanding sugar, a few red, white, and green sprinkles, and a piece of lime. Serve and enjoy!
More Tequila Cocktails To Make
We don’t have many shots on our blog just yet, so here are some more tequila cocktails to make instead!
- Disney’s Jungle Cruise Cocktail with Rum, Tequila, and Fruit Juices
- Sparkling Mexican Paloma Cocktail with Blanco Tequila & Grapefruit
- Layered Tropical Margarita with 3 Tequilas – Almond, Tangerine & Mango
Cocktail Party Appetizers
If you want to serve some appetizers with your drinks, check out these recipes:
- Air Fryer Buffalo Cauliflower Bites with Homemade Ranch Dip
- Parmesan and Mozzarella-Stuffed Potato Croquettes Recipe
- Crispy Lemon Panko Fried Shrimp Recipe
Cinco de Mayo Jello Shot Variations
I like to provide variations of the cocktails shared on The Purple Pumpkin Blog, such as turning the cocktail into an alcohol-free mocktail so that non-drinkers can enjoy the drink too!
Virgin Cinco de Mayo Jello Shots (Non-Alcoholic)
It’s simple to make the jello shots alcohol-free – just make the jello with water only, following the directions on the box. Layer and decorate the shots as described in the recipe card.
Virgin Cinco de Mayo Jello Shots (Non-Alcoholic Spirits)
For adults who would still like to enjoy the taste of alcohol in their mocktail, you could try non-alcoholic alternatives.
In the UK, try Lyre’s, which is also available on Amazon in the UK and Amazon.com.
Other brands include Strykk (UK), and Ritual (US & Canada). Non-alcoholic spirits are a growing trend, so be on the lookout in your local stores and online.
- Instead of Tequila, use Lyre’s Agave Blanco Spirit
- Instead of Grand Marnier, use Lyre’s Orange Sec
- Instead of Cherry Liqueur, use Cherry Syrup to add extra flavor to the jello
Use the non-alcoholic alternatives instead of the alcoholic ones in the recipe card.
This cocktail recipe is intended for adults of the legal drinking age in your country of residence.
Please drink responsibly. Do not drink and drive.
How Do I Make Cinco De Mayo Jello Shots?
Check out the printable recipe card below with full ingredients and instructions. To save ink, any demonstration photos do not print.
Cinco De Mayo Jello Shots
Ingredients
For the Green Layer
- 3 oz watermelon jello
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cup cold water
- ½ cup Pineapple Jalapeño Tequila
- Green food coloring
For the White Layer
- 1 packet 0.25-oz/7g unflavored gelatin
- 1 cup room temperature water
- 1 12-oz/354ml can condensed milk
- ½ cup lime juice
- ½ cup Grand Marnier
For the Red Layer
- 3 oz red cherry jello
- 1 cup boiling water
- ½ cold water
- ½ cup Maraschino Cherry Liqueur
- Red food coloring
For Garnish
- Whipped cream
- Gold sanding sugar sprinkles
- Red white, and green sprinkles
- Lime slices quartered
Instructions
- Place the green jello into a bowl and pour boiling water over the top. Stir to dissolve then stir in the cold water.
- Add Pineapple Jalapeño Tequila, and a drop of green food coloring to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Divide the green mixture between 12 shot glasses about ⅓ of the way up. Place the glasses into the refrigerator for 2 hours to set.
- Place 1 cup of room temperature water in a medium bowl and sprinkle the gelatin over. Stir to combine and set it aside for 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, pour the condensed milk, and Grand Marnier into the bowl and stir to combine.
- Pour the white mixture over the set green layer of each shot glass about ⅔ of the way up. Place the glasses back into the refrigerator for 2 hours to set.
- Place the red cherry jello into a bowl and pour boiling water over the top. Stir to dissolve then stir in the cold water.
- Add cherry liqueur, and a drop of red food coloring to the bowl and stir to combine.
- Pour the red mixture over the set white layer of the jello shots.
- Place the glasses back into the refrigerator for 2 hours to set.
- You can serve the Cinco de May jello shots as is, or garnish with whipped cream, a sprinkling of gold sanding sugar, a few red, white, and green sprinkles, and a piece of lime. Serve and enjoy!
SUGGESTED PRODUCTS
Nutrition
Nutritional information is always approximate and will depend on the quality of ingredients used and serving sizes. If you need exact calories and macros, please do your own calculations.
Make It A Party!
Here is a full menu of recipes to host a dinner party:
- Appetizer: Loaded Sheet Pan Nachos with Pico de Gallo for Feeding A Crowd!
- Soup: Gazpacho
- Salad: Mexican Chopped Salad with Creamy Avocado Dressing
- Main Dish: Sizzling Chicken Fajitas – Restaurant Style At Home!
- Side Dish: Easy-to-Make Authentic Mexican Rice Recipe
- Dessert: Scrumptious Recipe for Key Lime Pie Cookies With Frosting On Top!
There are 500+ Recipes on The Purple Pumpkin Blog for you to enjoy! Please feel free to check them out too.