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People do scary, borderline illegal things with food. And when we find these outlaw recipes, we'll post them in our new series, "Kookery". Then, we give the BA Test Kitchen a chance to weigh in on the mad deliciousness of it all.
In 1840 the owner of a London oyster bar, James Pimm, invented a refreshing drink to aid digestion--the Pimm's Cup. One hundred and seventy one years later, author Michelle Palm made the noble and classic cocktail gelatinous to aid sorority girls getting jiggly with it.
Palm's new cookbook Jelly Shot Test Kitchen transforms popular alcoholic concoctions from Alabama Slammers to Whiskey Sours into jello form, and provides all the essential tips (cutting, sculpting, adding more Cointreau) to bring out the tippling Bill Cosby in all of us. There are even suggestions for "flights," ostensibly to sample the jello shots' nuanced character. Want in on the boozy jiggle? You're in luck. We have the recipe for her Pimm's Cup jelly shots (see photo) and the book is available on Amazon.
Test Kitchen says: Forget Snack Packs, can this recipe be served in a traditional silver cup? -Associate Food Editor Mary-Frances Heck
Pimm's Cup Jelly Shot
by Michelle Palm
*This recipe is reprinted from the author's cookbook with her consent and has not been edited by the Bon Appetit Test Kitchen*
ThisWimbledon cocktail favorite is a veritable fruit salad of summertimedeliciousness. Pimm's No. 1 is a gin-based aperitif flavored withcitrus and spices. Several ingredients in this cocktail are hotlydebated, including the appropriate soda and fruit garnish. Asreflected below, we land on the side of lemon spiked ginger ale, withstrawberries, please. This recipe will work equally well withlemon-lime soda replacing the ginger ale, and your favorite fruits formuddling and garnish.
Difficulty: Intermediate
Recommended Pan: 1-pound loaf pan (approximately 8" x 4")
Implements: Large cocktail shaker and cocktail muddler
INGREDIENTS
4 strawberries
1 orange slice (about 1-inch), coarsely chopped
2 large sprigs fresh mint
1 (1 inch) piece cucumber, coarsely chopped
3/4 cup Pimm's No. 1 Cup
6 ice cubes
2/3 cup ginger ale
2/3 cup lemon syrup (recipe below)
2 envelopes Knox gelatin
Slivers of cucumber, strawberry, orange, and mint for garnish if desired.
PREPARATION
Muddlefruit together the strawberries, orange, mint, and chopped cucumber ina large cocktail shaker. Add Pimm's and the ice cubes and shakevigorously. Strain liquid through fine mesh strainer and set aside(you should have approximately 2/3 cup of liquid).
Combineginger ale and lemon syrup in saucepan in a medium saucepan andsprinkle with gelatin. Allow gelatin to soak for a minute or two. Heat over very low heat, stirring constantly, until gelatin is fullydissolved, about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add the reservedPimm's liquid, stirring well to blend. Pour into pan and chill untilfully set, several hours or overnight.
To serve, cut intorectangles. To garnish, peel "ribbons" from cucumber using a vegetablepeeler. The ribbons should be about 6 inches long for easy handling.Group the slivered fruit and mint as desired, and tie each bundle witha cucumber ribbon. Trim the ribbon ends to desired length. Place afruit bundle on each jelly shot. Makes 12-18 shots.
Lemon Syrup
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup granulated sugar
4 medium lemons, each cut into 8 wedges
PREPARATION
Combineall ingredients in a medium saucepan. Muddle the lemon wedges. Bring toa rolling boil over medium heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer for 5minutes. Remove from the heat and strain immediately. Allow the syrupto cool to room temperature.
Short cut: A 50-50 mix of frozenlemonade concentrate and water may be substituted for Lemon Syrup. Makesure to strain to remove any lemon pulp!