Moon Joos Jel Shots Review

One of the more creative ways to serve alcohol at a party or at a bar is to create the colorful and fruity Jello Shot. If you attended college, a college party, or even frequent the “dive bar” scene, chances are you’ve had one of these before. Around here, if you walk into the cooler of many of the bars you’ll see trays and trays stacked up all for consumption in one night. They’re cheap, they’re tasty, and their popular. You take your Jello mix, your water, and your alcohol of choice (usually vodka or grain alcohol) and you’re pretty much ready. The process is similar to making regular jello and can take anywhere from 2-4 hours to chill. But there in lies the problem. In today’s fast paced world anything that isn’t quick or instant is usually looked at for improvement. That being said, as easy and fun as it may be making them, it takes a bit of time and preparation that some people just don’t have (or care to waste). In addition, if you’ve ever made jello shots at home, you’re probably aware of the mess that sometimes comes with it. Enter pre-made “jel shots”. Ready to serve jel shots that are individually packaged, priced pretty cheaply, and that avoid some of the cons to making them yourself. Go to your favorite package store and scan the cluttered counters near the register, chances are there are 1, 2, or even 3 ready to serve Jel shots. In our curiosity, we’ve tried a few out of boredom and/or impulse buying and it’s been hit or miss. A couple of months ago we were fortunate enough to be offered samples from a company called MoonJoos USA to try several of their assorted flavors.

MoonJoos™ is the world’s first ready-to-drink vodka jelly!Developed in New Zealand using a special recipe made with a unique blend of proprietary ingredients, MoonJoos™ offers a truly unique drinking experience that really is out of this world. MoonJoos™ patented formulation means our Jelly has a texture that can’t be experienced anywhere else this side of Jupiter! MoonJoos is easy to drink, requires no refrigeration and is ready to consume whenever you’re ready to get the party started!

First Impression: Nice packaging. Nothing too crazy, and yet the logo is both simple and fitting. The label itself covers up a good portion of the product but leaves just enough for you to notice the bright hue of each of it’s four flavors (Peach, Grape, Apple, Blueberry). Each shot is sealed with an easy-to-tear foil packaging that shouldn’t give anyone a hard time. We opened each flavor to get a whiff and were pleasantly surprised. Peach, Apple, blueberry held the strongest aromas, all very pleasant. Grape’s aroma came off as a bit more artificial like but still sweet and enticing. So how do they stack up with the taste buds…

The Taste:

• Apple: It’s strong “sour apple” aroma convinced us to try this first. Nicely done. The flavor is strong enough to easily identify it, the alcohol is just high enough (13%) to remind you to slow down when throwing these back, and the after taste is as good as the initial. One shot of this and you’ll be reminded you of why sour apple is usually a staple in any bar, home or commercial. Grade: A

• Grape:  Up next was grape, and though it let us down in the smell department we had higher hopes for the taste. Both Lori and I had slightly different opinions of the taste. To begin, the flavor is slightly off from the flavor we expected. She didn’t like it. I on the other hand still enjoyed it as a product. Though it doesn’t taste as grape as some may like, it definitely has a good mix of sugar and flavor giving it fun and fruit taste that can still keep the party going. If you’re a HUGE fan of grape, you may be a bit turned off depending on your taste buds but all in all, a tasty offering. And like the others, no bad after taste to have you searching for a chase. Grade: C 

• Peach: This one was another favorite when we initially unpackaged them. It’s got a great smell, however the peach flavor isn’t as present in this one as we would have liked. It’s still got a good flavor, however I would almost describe it as a passion fruit/peach blend. But that’s just us. Grade: C+

• Blueberry: We’ll end on a good note. Blueberry was awesome, and specifically was Lori’s favorite. Great smell, and an even better taste. Tastes like it was made right at home with perfect amount of blueberry jello mix, and with a nice spike to it. Very fruity, very tasty, and very easy to go down with no bad after tastes. Grade: A

Grade: B (Overall)

Final Word: The folks over at Moon Joos did a good job here, and to be honest better than we expected. Though we haven’t tried every brand out there, we were a bit turned off to several of the one’s we did try but Moon Joos has successfully pulled off a pre-made Jel shot that doesn’t have you regretting it immediately after. Although we differed on opinions of taste for two of the four flavors, all four were no doubt tasty. The textures in each are slightly more liquid that what you would expect from yours made at home, but still consistent and easy to consume. At an ABV of 13% (26 Proof and available in both 25ML and 50ML), there is a good amount of buzz to each, but again one draw back to the pre made stuff is you lose the ability to add in as little or as much alcohol as you like. 26 proof is a happy medium. Though we are usually the do-it-yourself type of people, we liked these and would recommend you give them a try.

*Don’t forget to check out their website for a few  jello shot drink recipes they’ve created using the Jel shots. For more information on MoonJoos Jel Shots visit their website at www.moonjoosusa.com or check out their Facebook page.

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