Your guests will love these fancy jello shots with pink Champagne or Prosecco and gin, a playful jiggly twist on the classic French 75 cocktail.
Making sparkling jello is really simple – just use any effervescent liquid. The bubbles suspended in gelatin add a touch of whimsy and make these jello shots so pretty and fun!
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These Champagne jello shots are incredibly elegant! You can make them heart-shaped for romantic celebrations like Valentine’s Day, anniversaries, or wedding receptions, or simply serve them out of Champagne glasses.
Ingredient notes
These are the five ingredients needed to make these refreshing Champagne jello shots, plus a few alternatives for substitutions.
I’ll also list some ideas for jello shot variations further down the post, like a non-alcoholic version and a vodka version (French 76). Check it out if it interests you!
- Pink (Rosé) Champagne, 1 1/2 cup
- Pink gin, 1/4 cup
- Fresh lemon juice, 1/8 cup
- Granulated sugar or simple syrup, 1/4 cup
- Unflavored gelatin (like Knox), 2 1/4-ounce envelopes
Rosé Champagne: You can actually choose any type of sparkling wine, such as Prosecco, Cava or Lambrusco. It can be Brut or sweet as you prefer. These jello shots contain some sugar (following the original French 75 cocktail recipe), so they will be sweet enough either way.
Pink gin: I used Bombay Bramble Blackberry Raspberry Gin, which is absolutely delicious and it has a very deep pink color. Other good and easy to find options are Beefeater Pink Strawberry Gin and Gordon’s Premium Pink Distilled Gin.
The Champagne or Prosecco and gin don’t have to be pink! You can make these jello shots with regular gin and sparkling wine. Instead of pink they will be transparent, but still sparkly and very elegant.
Lemon juice: The classic French 75 cocktail actually takes double the amount of lemon juice, but in this recipe I decided to reduce the quantity. This keeps the boozy jello citrusy and refreshing, and not too tangy. Feel free to add the full amount (1/4 cup instead of 1/8) if you prefer a stronger lemon flavor.
Gelatin: These Champagne jello shots are actually jello jigglers (finger jello). So you’ll need two envelopes of Knox (or 2 tablespoons of any unflavored gelatin powder) to ensure that they will set firm enough to be unmolded (or cut into squares) and eaten by hand.
How to make
Before you begin, select the container where you’ll be pouring the boozy gelatin mixture to set the Champagne jello jigglers. There are three options:
- Individual molds: To make heart-shaped jello jigglers like mine, use mini cupcake liners made of silicone.
- Baking pan: Pour the gelatin mixture into a 8×8-inch baking pan, so you can later unmold and make cut-out finger jello with a heart-shaped cookie cutter, or just slice it into squares.
- Jello shot cups: Serving in glasses with small dessert spoons is easier since you don’t need to unmold or cut the jello. If you choose this option, use half the amount of gelatin powder (1 1/4-ounce sachet instead of 2).
If you pick either of the two first options, apply non-stick spray or rub vegetable oil onto liners or pan for easy jello shot unmolding. You can also line the pan with plastic wrap. Let’s get this party started!
1. Add half of the Champagne, gelatin and sugar into a pot or a microwave-safe container. Pick a container with a pouring spout for easier pouring into molds later.
Heat up the mixture on the stove over low-heat while mixing, or in the microwave until the gelatin and sugar crystals are melted. Do not let it boil.
2. Add the freshly squeezed lemon juice and pink gin and mix well.
Then add the remaining Champagne and mix very gently to prevent the carbonation from escaping and keep the bubbles in the jello.
3. There might be a lot of foam rising up to the surface. Use a spoon to try to get as much out of the top of the jello mixture as possible.
4. Place the shot glasses or liners on a cookie sheet so it’s easier to transport it into the fridge. Pour the portions of liquid jello about 3/4 of the way up, and refrigerate until set.
5. Allow at least 2 hours for the jello shots to fully set in individual molds or cups, or 3-4 hours in a large mold. Once completely set, run a toothpick around the edges to help release the jello before unmolding.
If you used a metal baking pan and the gelatin seems stuck, you can dip the pan into warm water for a few seconds to release it.
Then, turn the Champagne gelatin onto a cutting board to slice the jello jigglers into squares or use a cookie cutter.
Recipe variations
Non-alcoholic
To make a French 75 mocktail jello shot, substitute the pink gin for white cranberry strawberry juice and the sparkling wine for pink ginger ale or seltzer. Some nice flavors to choose from are strawberry lemonade, grapefruit or cranberry.
Sugar-free
You can make a sugar-free cocktail jello shot, just substitute the sugar for a zero calorie sweetener. It could be erythritol sweetener, stevia, Splenda, etc.
Because sugar substitutes vary in sweetening power, the substitution is not necessarily 1:1 – add what feels right and adjust to taste while mixing the jello shots.
French 76 version
The French 76 is a French 75 made with vodka instead of gin. So, to make Champagne and vodka jello shots, you’ll just need to replace the gin with vodka.
You could use plain vodka, but there are better options to make these sparkling jello shots even tastier: I recommend New Amsterdam Pink Whitney, Smirnoff Pink Lemonade Flavored Vodka or Smirnoff Strawberry.
French 77 jello shots
Another variation of the French 75, this bubbly cocktail mixes Champagne and elderflower liqueur. To make it, just replace both the pink gin and the sugar (or simple syrup) in the recipe for St Germain Elderflower Liqueur.
St. Germain liqueur is pale yellow / light gold in color, so keep in mind that the jello shots won’t have the pretty pink hue if you make the French 77 recipe.
Extra tips
Creative jello shots shapes
It’s Valentine’s Day next month, so I’m making these Champagne jello shots shaped like hearts. Get creative and pick a shape that will match your celebration!
Mini silicone molds or cookie cutters are available in so many styles!
- Stars for New Year’s Eve parties
- Snowflakes for winter-themed celebrations
- Wedding ring or diamond-shaped jello shots for engagements or weddings
- Look up bachelorette party cookie cutter for more fun and playful ideas!
If you prefer, you can also serve the jello shots in Champagne flutes or vintage coupe glasses for a classier presentation!
Jello shot decoration ideas
If you’d like to decorate with sanding sugar or sugar pearls, sprinkle them just before serving. Any garnish with sugar will quickly melt upon contact with the jelly, as it’s mostly water – or alcohol in this case 😉
You can use other non-sugar based garnishes that won’t melt and can be added in advance. Here are a few ideas:
- Sliced strawberries or grapes
- Quartered lemon slices or lemon wedges
- Pomegranate arils
- Raspberries
- Edible stars glitter
- Edible gold leaf or powder, for super fancy jello shots!
How to make fizzy jello
It’s normal for the Champagne or sparkling wine to sizzle when adding the gelatin and sugar, causing bubbles to burst and foam to rise.
To preserve as many Champagne bubbles as possible and create beautiful sparkling jello shots, stir the mixture slowly and gently, and refrigerate the shots as soon as they are ready.
Pink Champagne Jello Shots
These sparkling Pink Champagne Jello Shots are a glamorous twist on the French 75 cocktail. A fancy grown-up treat great for Valentine's Day, bachelorette parties, and weddings!
- Mini heart-shaped silicone cupcake liners
- 1 1/2 cup pink Champagne ((or sparkling wine/Prosecco), divided)
- 2 envelopes unflavored gelatin ((half the amount if serving in glasses, see notes below))
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar (or simple syrup)
- 1/2 cup pink gin
- 1/8 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed)
Apply non-stick spray or rub vegetable oil onto 12 silicone mini cupcake liners. Place the prepared molds on a cookie sheet and set aside.
Add half of the Champagne, gelatin powder and sugar into a pot or a microwave-safe container. Pick a container with a pouring spout for easier pouring into molds later on.
Heat up the mixture on the stove over low-heat while mixing, or in the microwave just until the gelatin and sugar crystals are melted. Do not boil, as this can interfere with the gelatin setting.
Stir in the lemon juice and pink gin and mix well.
Add the remaining Champagne or sparkling wine and mix very gently to prevent loss of bubbles. Remove excess foam that rises to the surface with a spoon.
Divide the Champagne gelatin mixture into silicone liners and refrigerate until fully set.
You can use 8×8-inch pan instead of individual molds. Either spray the pan with oil or line it with a layer of plastic wrap to help unmolding. After it has completely set, turn the Champagne jello out onto a cutting board and slice it into squares or cut-out jigglers with a cookie cutter.
If serving out of small glasses or plastic cups instead of unmolding, reduce the amount of gelatin powder in half or the jello shots will be too firm.
Yield: The recipe makes 12 1.5-ounce servings.
Recipe variations:
- French 76: Substitute the gin for vodka.
- French 77: Replace both the pink gin and the sugar (or simple syrup) for St Germain Elderflower Liqueur.
- Non-alcoholic: Substitute the pink gin for white cranberry strawberry juice and the sparkling wine for pink ginger ale or seltzer. The best flavors are strawberry lemonade, grapefruit or cranberry.
- Sugar-free: Instead of sugar, add your calorie-free sweetener of choice. Adjust the amount to taste.
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