Boozy Popsicles

Nothing chills your mood and slows your roll faster than an icy treat…except for maybe one that’s spiked with your favorite spirits! The recipe below is less a formula and more a blueprint to play with your own flavor combinations – the Watermelon-Raspberry Rosé, Mango-Mezcal and Cantaloupe Campari pops are a great place to start. But, as long as you honor the ratios of fruit, alcohol and simple syrup, you’ll have a tasty–and sorta tipsy–treat!

The only ingredient you need to turn on the stove for here is a simple syrup, and it’s easy to batch. Combine a 1:1 ratio of evaporated cane juice or granulated sugar in a small saucepan with an equal amount of water, and boil until the sugar dissolves completely. Use what you need, and store what you don’t in the fridge for another purpose or another time.

It is easy to bring your popsicles to a remote and relaxing destination, but you will need a bit of ice. I use a cooler bag stuffed with ice packs (or better yet, dry ice) to keep my popsicles cold until I reach my destination. If you don’t have metal popsicle molds, you can use fillable popsicle sleeves (readily available at your favorite online retailer,) or even a paper cup with a popsicle stick stuck inside.

Boozy Popsicles

makes 10

Ingredients

• 1 cup evaporated cane juice or granulated sugar
• 1 cup filtered water
• 1 cup fruit (such as cantaloupe, berries, watermelon, raspberries, peaches, frozen mango, etc)
• ¼ cup of your favorite alcohol (such as rosé wine, campari, mezcal, vodka, rum or bourbon)
  

A Few Combinations To Try

• Watermelon-Raspberry Rosé: combine ½ cup watermelon chunks with ½ cup fresh or frozen raspberries and ¼ cup rosé. 

• Mango Mezcal: combine 1 cup frozen or fresh mango chunks with ¼ cup mezcal 

• Cantaloupe Campari (ie: Chillest Negroni): combine 1 cup cantaloupe chunks with ¼ cup campari, 2 Tbsp sweet vermouth and 2 Tbsp campari.

Equipment

• High-speed blender 
• Funnel–optional, but helpful
• 10 popsicle molds or 20 slim popsicle sleeves
• Popsicle sticks
• For transporting: a small cooler bag or freezable lunchbox, dry ice or several ice packs

Do Ahead

1. Make your simple syrup:  In a small saucepan, combine the water with the sugar over medium-high heat. Bring the pot to boil and allow to cook until all of the sugar has dissolved into the water, 3-4 minutes or so. You’ll know your simple syrup is done because you’ll have a clear, viscous liquid and won’t see any granules of sugar on the bottom of the pot. Remove the simple syrup from the heat and set aside. Reserve ¾ cup of syrup for your popsicles (below.) Place the remaining ¼ cup in a glass jar and store in the fridge for another purpose.
2. Gather your equipment: The process of making boozy popsicles happens fast. You’ll want to have your popsicle molds and sticks ready. It’s also a good idea to jam your cooler bag in the fridge at this point if you plan to transport your popsicles somewhere to chill.

Directions

1. Blend: In a high speed blender, combine the fruit, ¾ cup simple syrup and ¼ cup booze. Process until smooth, without any chunks.
2. Mold + Freeze: Pour your popsicle base into the prepared popsicle molds, then place the pops in your freezer to freeze completely – at least 6 hours but preferably overnight. To release the popsicles from the molds, run each beneath a bit of warm water, then pull out by the sticks.
3. Take + Chill: To transport your pops to the trail, pull out your pre-frozen lunch bag or freezer box and add a bit of dry ice or a large reusable ice block. Place your popsicles in with the ice and seal tightly. Now, you can toss your cooler bag into a backpack and hit the road! Depending on the brand of your cooler, you’ll have a couple of hours to find a chill spot – preferably river, lake or oceanside, to enjoy your frozen treats.

Lentine Alexis is a former professional endurance athlete & classically trained chef. The former Culinary Director at Skratch Labs, she uses a real-food philosophy to create recipes for athletes and everyone looking to eat well and adventure better. Find more recipes and info on her upcoming cookbook for athletes at lentinealexis.com, or follow her @lentinealexis.