PROPSTYLIST:DANPELOSI70
Atthebottomofthecocktailladder,wherethecheapest
ingredientsandmostpotentregretsreside,is thejelloshot.
Thedivebarversionrequiresonlyhotwaterandbooze
pouredoversaccharinepowderedgelatin,thentwohours
tofirminthefridge.
But professionals
aregivingthefrat-party
staple a Champagne
toast. When they
work with top-quality
ingredients, high-tech
equipment, and sheet
gelatin,itcantaketwo
daystocrafttheshapes,
given the elaborate
multistepprocess.
AtSilverLyan,setin
the former bank vault
of thegrand oldRiggs
Washington,D.C.,Ryan
Chetiyawardana has
created a “jello fruit
basket,” a magnificent
array of wobbling
mini cocktails. (The
bar is temporarily
closed because of the
pandemic.) “We serve
thebasketwithshotsof
proper,dryChampagne,”
says Chetiyawardana,
whose London spot
Dandelyan was named
World’sBestBarin2018.
The treats in the
$80basketareinspired
by classic recipes: An
applemartiniis madewithfreshjuice;a tequilasunrisein
anorangezestpackagehasa hitofvermouthtoaccentthe
citrus;anda passionfruitdaiquiribalancestropicalsweet-
nesswithlighttanninsfromthefruitshell.ThestunningELECTION HANGOVER SPECIAL BloombergPursuits November 9, 2020presentationisn’teventhepoint,hesays: “It’s all about the
factthey’resuperfun.”
Chetiyawardanaisn’tthefirstnotable mixologist to turn
hisattentiontothisjigglingformof cocktail. The recipe
allegedlyfirstappearedinJerryThomas’s The Bartender’s
Guide:HowtoMixDrinks,orTheBon Vivant’s Companion,
publishedin1862.(Thegelatinhecalled for was essentially
fishbladders.)
AtMontroseCheese&WineinHouston,ownerPam
Cantúdoesn’thavea licensetocarryhardspirits;instead
sheusesa bottleofa lower-alcohol Cappelletti Amaro
SfumatoRabarbarotomakehershooters. Cantú combines
theamarowithOJandgelatinandserves it in a hollowed-out
orangesotheskin’sessentialoilsflavor the shot, too. The
liqueurgivesthesophisticatedtreat an appealingly sharp
andsmokyherbalkick.“It’smorethan a drink,” she says.
“It’sanexperience.”
The country’s mostambitiousjello shots hail from
Solid Wiggles in New
York. Jena Derman, a
former confectioner at
Milk Bar, and mixolo-
gist Jack Schramm have
teamed up to produce
intricate creations that
look like art and taste
first-class.
Derman uses a
Spinzall, a culinary
centrifuge, to clar-
ifyingredients.With a
pastry-tipped syringe,
sheshapesmint-infused
milk that she’s thick-
enedwith gelatininto
flowerformsinsidethe
transparent jelly.
For Election Day,
Derman and Schramm
offered Coming Up
Roses, which is made
with gin, coconut water,
mint, and lime. It’s a nod
to the modernist gimlets
Schramm mixed when
he worked at the New
York cocktail institution
Booker & Dax.
“We are thinking of
them like well-balanced
cocktails,” Derman says.
“They’rea universeawayfromcherry-vodka jello shots.”
SolidWigglessellsthemto-gofornow—packages of six
are$40forpickup—butplanstohave mail-order delivery
nationwide by early next year. <BW>These upscale shots
will have you at h-e-l-l-o
By Kate Krader
Photograph by Gabriela HermanMellow Jello
Edible flowers in
Solid Wiggles’ jello
shots are made from
mint-infused milk