So I participated in a Jell-O mold contest (yes, a Jell-O mold contest) and won a signed copy of Hello Jell-O! by the Jell-O Mistress of Brooklyn, Miss Victoria Belanger. My winning entry was the magnificence that is Frosty Melon (although, let’s face it, the Jellied Veal has been the apex of my Jell-O making thus far).

After flipping through Hello Jell-O! I realized that I had been sitting on my Jell-O mold laurels for a bit too long. It was high time for me to try something new and challenge myself. So for one of the numerous Memorial Day cookouts I attended I tried my hand at the Jell-O Mold Mistress’ Mojito Mold. I mean, what says summer more than a rum drink or Jell-O? And summer food fit the bill for the holiday since it was well in the 90s here in the Mid-Atlantic.

Side note: If the Memorial Day temps were a portend of what is to come the rest of the summer, I. Am. Fucked.

But anyhoo, onto the Mojito.

Basically you make a mint-infused simple syrup (boil water, sugar & mint leaves), and once that is cool, mix in some unflavored gelatin, rum, and tonic. Let it chill and this is what you get:

So really, it was a giant Jell-O shot; but unlike your regular, run-of-the-mill red Jell-O shot that tastes vaguely like Robotussin, this one tasted like a Mojito.

And looked like mucous.

The mojito mold was a huge hit–a big conversation piece–it elicited responses like “my grandma always used to make Jell-O for cookouts,” and “I don’t know the last time I saw a Jell-O mold.” A lot of people asked for the recipe and then asked about the blog. Which is funny, actually, being asked about your blog or have a friend say “tell them about the blog!” which then I do. The conversation typically goes like this:

Me: Um, OK. I have a blog.

Random dude: What kind of blog?

Me: Food blog.

Random dude: So you make food and take pictures of it?

Me: Yep.

Random dude: You and everyone’s mom.

Well, it’s something like that. Except I throw in some stuff about bad food photography and how I’ve had to make offal a few times. Speaking of which, I need a t-shirt like this one:

Anway, this was a Jell-O win. I would love to try this again with bourbon and make it a Mint Julep mold. Through trial and error I think I could get it to be sweeter and mintier. Plus, the bourbon will make it an intriguing amber color, so it would look less like mucous and more like honey.

Upgrade.