On a balmy Southern California night, heads turned at Beverly Hills Hotel and Bungalows’ new Bar NINETEEN12 as waiters carried glowing glass boxes to a VIP table. Atop the boxes were five shimmering, jiggling jelly shots in assorted colors and flavors, now a hugely popular offering from the bar’s edible cocktail menu.

“Since their debut, the edible cocktails have achieved just what we wanted them to: They’ve attracted a younger, hip clientele, who often come to the bar specifically to try the jelly shots,” says bar manager Philip Spee. “For $25, guests get a sampling of five layered shots served in custom-made boxes filled with ice and glowing neon cubes, and they are just blown away.”

After finding inspiration at the property’s sister hotel, Plaza Athénée in Paris, Spee began crafting the gelatinous concoctions, whose fun shapes and flavors change seasonally. For instance, the December holidays yield star-, bell-, and ornament-shaped shots in flavors such as egg nog, chocolate candied orange, and warm apple pie. For Valentine’s Day, there are French Cosmo, passion fruit, and peach-flavored jelly hearts. Everyday layered flavor combinations include banana liqueur, blue Curaçao, and white crème de cacao; Watermelon Pucker, vodka, and pineapple juice; Kahlúa, Baileys, and Grand Marnier; Apple Pucker, vodka, and sweet and sour mix; and cherry brandy, white crème de cacao, and green crème de menthe.

“They taste like candy, even though they’re actually pretty potent,” says Spee. “We do a lot of experimenting to come up with flavor combinations people will love, like the one with Watermelon Pucker. It tastes just like a Jolly Rancher.”

THE PROCESS
Luckily, the creative process for making a jelly shot isn’t quite as intensive as creating confections. Spee starts by softening a plain gelatin sheet and mixing it with the first layer of liquor, then carefully heating it so that the alcohol doesn’t evaporate. That layer goes into a mold, hardens in the refrigerator, and the process starts over until each layer is added and hardened.

“This is actually easy compared to making our martini popsicles,” Spee adds. The martini popsicles are another treat on the edible cocktails menu, and due to the fact that high-proof liquor is extremely difficult to freeze, Spee says it took months for his team to perfect a recipe.

“I can’t say exactly what it is, but I will say that it involves a special way of mixing the ingredients before they’re frozen. People love the popsicles and are impressed that we were able to figure out a way to make them, and make them strong at that. They have every bit as much liquor as an actual martini.”

At $20 a pop, the frozen potables come in several varieties, including apple, watermelon, and cherry. Served in colorful hand-blown glass molds over ice and neon cubes, then placed in larger, coordinating glass molds, the treats make for a tempting display.

Though there are plenty of traditional drinks at Bar NINETEEN12 for those less adventurous types, the edible cocktail portion beckons to guests who are up for trying something different. Moving beyond the edibles, the bar also has daring drinks with an international slant, such as Batidas (cachaça; choice of muddled pineapple, mango, kiwi, or mixed berries; powdered sugar; and crushed ice), Thaipirinha (cachaça, fresh muddled lime, basil, and powdered sugar), Tokyo Tea (vodka, rum, gin, tequila, Cointreau, Midori, Sprite, and sweet and sour mix), and the Moscow Mule (vodka, lemon juice, and ginger beer).

“Our cocktail menu is literally split down the middle with a traditional side and an edgier, trendier side,” says Spee. “We did this because the concept behind the bar was to preserve the classic tradition of the hotel, and, at the same time, breathe new life into it. I think we’ve definitely achieved this with our cocktail offerings, but we’re not going to rest on our laurels. I already have big ideas for the next menu.”

Ashley Brown Allen, based in Arlington, Virginia, is a professional freelance writer covering topics related to food and beverage, travel, and corporate event planning.