Having a party once in a Blue Moon

I want to talk about the opening party of my artist friend Bettina Forget. It gives me the chance to talk about party design planning.

Bettina is a talented painter. I like her work. She was my office neighbor across the hall over the last years. She just moved to the next door building because that building is full of art galleries. Naturally, she hosted an opening night on May 31, a Blue Moon night.

Bettina gets her inspiration from the stars. Therefore, the Blue Moon was more than appropriate as the theme of her opening party. This was a simple but fun event.

Let the theme take its course

One thing that this event shows is that you do not need elaborate décor to create a festive event. In this case, Bettina wears a vibrant blue wig. I was wearing clothes of the same blue. So clothing can be a part of the décor and they do not necessary have to look like costume.

Her signature drink was Blue Rasperry Jello vodka shots. I think it is the most stylish due to the color. Limiting yourself to one single color really looks the best.

Basic Jello shot recipe

The alcohol replaces the cold water in making the Jell-O. If you find that the Jell-O do not set properly, reduce the alcohol and increase the cold water. The rule of thumb is the higher the proof of the alcohol, the more cold water is required for the Jell-O to set.

For vodka shots, the ratio of 65% vodka, 35% cold water is fairly common. Some people complained this recipe makes a weak Jell-O shot. But I do not think that you should taste the alcohol in this shot. That is not a martini. Still, many people totally replace the cold water with vodka. I suggest you experiment to find out what you prefer.

Tips from Jell-O Shot Connoisseurs

Jell-O sticks to the cup. Bettina provides nice colorful toothpicks so we can break out the Jell-O shooter. Some people suggest Dixie cups that have a wax lining. I got two more solutions for you:

• spray the cups with non-flavored (for baking) Pam it would not affect the taste or the effects property; the Jello shooter will easily slide out
• for a different look, make them in a square cake pan, cut it in squares and place them in a cool service tray. I would put the tray over crushed ice. People will use a colorful toothpick to grab one.

If you are in a hurry, add one packet of Knox Gelatin to every large box of Jell-O and it will set in 30 minutes.

Jell-O will gel at the bottom of your container when mixing so run hot water on the outside of the container to melt.

Orange Peel Jello Shots Recipe

A girl wrote this recipe on DrinkStreet.com, I had to share it with you because it is sweet.

My friend made the coolest Jello shots I have ever seen. They were orange slices except instead of the orange part you got Jello on the peel. It looks really cool and they are way more fun to eat, this is how she did it:

• cut oranges in half
• spoon out all the orange stuff
• mix alcohol and Jello normally
• pour Jello mix into balled out orange halves and let set
• once set, cut into smaller normal sized orange slices

Oh, and of course keep some normal orange slices around for designated drivers so they can be part of the fun as well.

If you buy organic oranges with a thin rim, I suggest you do really round slices that you served frozen. It will look more sophisticated. People can eat everything, even the rim.

Vodka Rasperry Jello Shooter Recipe

• Pour half boiling water over your Rasperry Jello powder. Mix it and let it rest as usual.
• Pour half vodka stored in the freezer
• To top them, squeeze a bit of fresh lemon juice into each shot. No need to stir.

What is a Blue Moon?

A Blue Moon occurs when in a month you got two full moons. This usually happens every two and a half years. So if your husband tells you he will do something for you at the next Blue Moon, you may have to wait longer that you expect.

I saw on Bettina’s facebook profile that she received a blue Jello shot as a gift. What a lovely way to thank her. I am just sad I did not think about it first.

If you want to see the paintings of the talented Bettina Forget, her current exhibit We are Stardust at Visual Voice Art Gallery ends August 11, 2007. I encourage you to have a look. Notice that the gallery is closed for vacation from July 6 to 23, 2007.

Learn more: Web site of Bettina Forget
Recipes: Jello Shots on DrinkStreet.com
Art exhibit: Visual Voice Art Gallery in the Belgo building, downtown Montreal
Photo credits: Bettina Forget’s Blue Moon Opening Party pictures taken by Bernard Bujold – rights reserved
Photo credit: There’s Always Room by furryscaly on flickr
Photo credit: Orange Peel Jello Shots by Patrick Haney on flickr