As summer winds to a close, we can reflect back on the past several months and all the spirited ways we enjoyed the warm, sunny days and evenings. Rosé, cold-brewed coffee and frosty beers are part of the regular lineup but when it comes to cocktails, the season provides unique opportunities to create cold, refreshing libations.
One of my favorite ways to create cocktails in the summertime is by getting out the blender. Nothing says summer like frosty mugs of slushy booze! Take it to the next level by putting that slushy drink into a popsicle mold — or any ice mold — freeze for several hours and you’ve got a childhood favorite with a kick. It is truly that simple. Other than keeping basic ratios in mind, you can create a boozy ice pop out of nearly any cocktail formula.
First: about that ratio. Even though it’s tempting, you do not want to make a super boozy ice pop. Alcohol has a lower freezing point that other liquids, so no amount of time spent in a home freezer will make that thing freeze solid. You’ll be left with a slushy mess that, while delicious, will not hold its shape long enough to be licked off a stick. You want to shoot for roughly 20 percent or less alcohol in your mixture. Figure one shot of booze (1.5 ounces) for every cup or so of liquid.
My favorite style of ice pop is one using fresh, puréed fruit. In-season summer fruit is the best — strawberries, peaches and blackberries all work great. For berries, you can purée them and then pass them through a fine mesh sieve to remove some of the seeds. It’s nice to have a mix of fruit purée and chopped fruit as well but really personal preference. Ready-made fruit juices such as grapefruit, pomegranate, orange and pear are all excellent in boozy pops. As with any kitchen or bar creation, start with quality ingredients and you’re more likely to end up with quality results.
My choice boozy pop of this summer combines late season blackberries with gin, crème de cassis and a little bit of fresh lemon for a bramble-style frozen pop. You can riff on any cocktail, just error on the side of rich flavor and more sweetness. The ice crystals that form while the pop freezes dilute the results a little bit.
A note about molds: If you’re cheap like me, go for Dixie cups and popsicle sticks sold at the supermarket. You can even use glassware you have on hand, as long as the top is a little wider than the base. And of course, you can find fancier popsicle molds online and anywhere housewares and kitchen equipment are sold.
Blackberry Gin Ice Pop
Yields: Roughly 4 cups
5 to 6 cups fresh blackberries
3 ounces gin
2 ounces simple syrup, or to taste
1 ounce crème de cassis
Juice of half lemon, or to taste
Purée blackberries in a food processors or food mill. If desired, press the purée through a fine mesh strainer to remove more seeds. Combine blackberry purée (now roughly 3 cups), gin, simple syrup, crème de cassis and lemon juice in a mixing bowl and combine. Adjust sweetness or tartness to taste. Chill mixture for 3-4 hours to reduce the chance of it separating while freezing.
Stir the chilled mixture, pour into molds and freeze for 1-2 hours, until the mixture begins to set. Place a popsicle stick into the center of each pop and freeze for another 4-5 hours, preferably overnight, until set.
