Gelatina de rompope (heh-lah-TEE-nah deh rohm-POH-peh) is a Mexican milk gelatin flavored with rompope, a cinnamon and vanilla egg liqueur that’s often called Mexican eggnog. Think of it as a jello mold that eats like cold flan: sweet, pale yellow, firm enough to turn out of a ring mold, soft enough to give under a spoon. It’s sold from gelatin carts in Mexico and dressed up with pecans and raisins at Christmas. The whole method is cold except for melting the gelatin, so it takes about 20 minutes of work.
How to make rompope gelatin
How do you make rompope gelatin? Bloom 1 oz (28 g) of unflavored gelatin in ½ cup (120 ml) cold water for 5 minutes and melt it without boiling. Whisk 2 cups (480 ml) of chilled rompope with a can of condensed milk, a can of evaporated milk and vanilla, stream in the gelatin and chill in an oiled mold for at least 6 hours. 380 minutes for 10 servings.
About 20 minutes of work, then 6 hours in the fridge, or overnight. Easy, with two things to watch: the gelatin must never boil, and the unmolding water should be warm, not hot.
What rompope is, and what to buy instead
Rompope is a Mexican drink of milk, egg yolks, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla, spiked with rum or brandy. It’s thinner and less rich than American eggnog because it has no cream. You can make it with my homemade rompope (Mexican eggnog) recipe, which makes about 4¾ cups, so a batch covers this mold plus about 9 small glasses to drink. Homemade rompope keeps 3 to 4 days, so make the gelatin the same day or the next.
If you’re buying it:
- US. Bottled rompope is sold in liquor stores and Latin markets. It’s pasteurized and an unopened bottle keeps for months. Check the ABV on the label, because it varies by brand and it decides how much alcohol ends up in each slice.
- Store-bought eggnog (US). Use the same 2 cups (480 ml). It sets just as well with this amount of gelatin, but it tastes of nutmeg rather than cinnamon, and the carton kind has no alcohol, which makes it the easy kid-friendly version. Add ½ tsp ground cinnamon to bring it closer.
- UK. Rompope is hard to find. Advocaat, the Dutch egg liqueur, is the nearest thing, but it’s much thicker and stronger, usually around 17% ABV: use 1 cup (240 ml) advocaat plus 1 cup (240 ml) whole milk in place of the 2 cups of rompope.
How much gelatin for a firm mold that isn’t rubbery
Grenetina, the Mexican name on the box, is plain unflavored gelatin. One US envelope weighs ¼ oz (7 g) and is meant to set 2 cups (about 500 ml) of liquid. That’s a soft set, fine in a cup, too weak for a mold. This recipe uses 4 envelopes, 1 oz (28 g), for about 5 cups (1.25 liters) of mixture, roughly 22 g per liter.
| Gelatin per liter (per 4 cups) | Texture | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| 15 g (2 envelopes) | Soft, spoonable | Cups only |
| 22 g (3 envelopes), this recipe | Firm, unmolds whole and wobbles | A 6-cup ring mold or cups |
| 30 g (4+ envelopes) or more | Very firm, a little bouncy | A tall mold or a warm outdoor table |
Below about 22 g per liter, a ring mold can crack as it comes out, because it has to hold its own weight. Much above 30 g it turns rubbery. For cups only, you can drop to 3 envelopes (21 g) for a creamier set.
In the UK, gelatine comes in 12 g sachets or in leaves. Weigh 28 g of powder (two sachets plus a third), or use about 9 leaves, going by the usual packet guide of 4 leaves to one 12 g sachet. Soak leaves 5 minutes in cold water, squeeze them out and melt them; skip the ½ cup of water and add ½ cup (120 ml) of milk to the bowl instead so the volume stays the same.
UK cans. Condensed milk comes in the same 397 g size. Evaporated milk tins are usually bigger than the US 12 fl oz can, so measure 1½ cups (360 ml).
Blooming, mixing and setting
Bloom and melt the gelatin
Sprinkle the powder over the cold water, never the water onto the powder, or you get dry lumps that won’t dissolve. After 5 minutes it should be a firm, opaque block. Melt it in 10-second bursts in the microwave until it’s clear, with no grains when you hold it up to the light. Boiling weakens gelatin, and the mold sets soft.
Mix without strings
Hot gelatin poured straight into cold rompope sets into rubbery threads on contact. Loosen it first with about half a cup of the milk mixture, then stream that back into the bowl while you whisk. If you still see strings, pour everything through a sieve and carry on.
How long it takes to set
- 6-cup (1.5 liter) ring mold: at least 6 hours, better overnight. The longer it chills, the cleaner it unmolds.
- Individual 4 fl oz (125 ml) cups: about 3 hours.
It’s set when you tilt the mold and the whole surface moves as one block, with no liquid sliding on top, and a fingertip on the center comes away clean.
Unmolding in one piece
- Run the tip of a thin knife around the outer edge and the center tube, about ½ in (1 cm) down, to let air in.
- Dip the mold in warm water, 5 to 10 seconds, up to the level of the gelatin. Hot water melts the outside and leaves a wet, blurry surface.
- Wet the serving plate with cold water so you can slide the gelatin into the center if it lands off.
- Plate on top, flip both together and give a gentle shake. If it doesn’t drop, another 5 seconds in warm water.
What goes wrong
- It won’t set, or splits when unmolded. Too little gelatin, it boiled, or it wasn’t bloomed. And give it the full 6 hours.
- It’s rubbery. Too much gelatin for the volume. Don’t use the full 1 oz for less than about 5 cups of mixture.
- Strings or lumps. The gelatin hit the cold rompope all at once. Temper it with some of the milk first.
- It sticks. The mold wasn’t oiled, or it came out too early.
Is rompope gelatin alcoholic? The kid-safe version
Yes, unless you make it with an alcohol-free rompope or eggnog. Nothing is heated after the rompope goes in, so none of the alcohol cooks off. To work out how much is in each slice: milliliters of rompope times its ABV, divided by 100, divided by 10 servings.
| What you use | Pure alcohol in the mold | Per serving |
|---|---|---|
| Homemade rompope, 6% ABV | about 29 ml (1 fl oz) | about 3 ml |
| Bottled rompope at 12% ABV (check yours) | about 58 ml (2 fl oz) | about 6 ml |
| Advocaat swap, about 17% ABV | about 41 ml (1⅓ fl oz) | about 4 ml |
| Carton eggnog or alcohol-free rompope | 0 | 0 |
A slice made with homemade rompope has about as much alcohol as 2 fl oz (60 ml) of beer. For children, anyone pregnant or anyone who doesn’t drink, make it with alcohol-free rompope or carton eggnog. The homemade rompope recipe has an alcohol-free version that swaps the rum for cold milk.
Allergens. Milk, and egg from the rompope or eggnog. Tree nuts if you add pecans. Gelatin is made from animal collagen, so it isn’t vegetarian.
Pecans, raisins and serving sizes
- With pecans. Toast ½ cup (60 g) chopped pecans in a dry skillet over medium heat for 4 to 5 minutes, until they smell nutty, and let them cool. The simplest way is to scatter them on top after unmolding. To set them inside, chill the mixture and check it every 10 minutes: once it’s as thick as raw egg white, stir in the nuts and pour. They stay suspended instead of floating.
- With raisins. ⅓ cup (60 g), soaked 10 minutes in hot water, drained and patted dry. Add them at the same egg-white stage, or they sink.
- Christmas style. Both together, with a pinch of ground cinnamon on top.
How much to make. The recipe gives about 5 cups (1.25 liters), 10 servings of about 5 oz (140 g).
- For 6: halve it, 2 envelopes (14 g) in ¼ cup (60 ml) water, 1 cup (240 ml) rompope, half of each can and ½ tsp vanilla, in a 3-cup (750 ml) mold or 6 cups.
- For 10: as written, in a 6-cup ring mold, an 8 × 8 in (20 × 20 cm) glass dish served in squares, or ten 4 fl oz cups.
- For 20: double it, 8 envelopes (56 g), in a standard 10- to 12-cup bundt pan or two 6-cup molds. A full-size bundt pan is too big for a single batch.
Serving and storing
Serve it cold, straight from the fridge, sliced with a knife dipped in hot water. At a Mexican Christmas dinner it follows mains like Mexican Christmas bacalao or a Latin-style Christmas turkey, next to Mexican pecan polvorones. A hot mug of Mexican Christmas fruit punch is a good contrast. For a colorful party mold made the same cold-milk way, see the Mexican mosaic gelatin.
Out of the fridge: no more than 2 hours. Gelatin starts to soften below body temperature, so on a warm table it sweats sooner; bring it out just before serving.
Fridge: 3 to 4 days, covered, at 40°F (4°C) or below, so it doesn’t pick up other smells. With homemade rompope, count the days from when you made the rompope.
Freezer: no. Thawed gelatin weeps and turns grainy.
FAQs
Can I make it two days ahead? Yes, as long as the rompope was freshly opened or freshly made. Unmold it on the day you serve it and keep it covered until then.
Why does mine taste of gelatin? It boiled, or there was too much. Melt it only until clear, and keep to about 22 g per liter for a mold.
Can I use regular milk instead of evaporated? Yes, 1½ cups (360 ml) of whole milk sets just as well with the same gelatin. The texture is a little less creamy.
Nutrition per serving
Per serving of about 5 oz (140 g), 1/10 of the mold, without pecans or raisins, calculated ingredient by ingredient with homemade rompope:
- Calories: 279 kcal
- Protein: 10 g
- Carbohydrates: 36 g, of which 36 g sugars
- Fat: 9 g, of which 5 g saturated
- Fiber: 0 g
- Sodium: 129 mg
The condensed milk brings about 124 kcal per serving and the rompope about 96. With pecans and raisins, a serving comes to about 340 kcal.
I make this the same day as the rompope: two cups go into the mold and the rest into small glasses. The pecans go on top, not inside, so everyone takes as many as they like and the slices cut clean. For Dylan I fill two cups with the alcohol-free rompope and label them, because they look exactly the same. Josnaisis.