Popsicles or ice lollies are a delicious and refreshing treat loved by kids around the world. Whether you loved them when you were a child or you still love them today, there’s no denying their popularity! Of course, once you get older, your tastes are bound to change and this calls for some slight changes to certain favourite recipes too.
You can make your very own alcohol-based popsicles at home with just a few basic ingredients! The one thing that you might need to buy, if you don’t have them already, is a popsicle mold set. These sets usually include a few molds for the popsicles, an equal number of plastic sticks, lids to hold the sticks in place and prevent spillage during the freezing process, and a tray to hold all of your popsicles up.
Once you’re ready, it’s time to choose what kind of alcohol you want to use. There are red wine popsicles, vodka popsicles, bourbon popsicles, champagne popsicles, and even some that use tequila! While alcohol does not freeze, it’s important to remember that you are not making pure alcohol ice lollies. Once diluted, the mixture will freeze solid.
For a red wine popsicle, you can use some vinegar to dissolve the sugar but this is optional. You can also add some mashed up strawberries for added flavour and texture. Using vodka and kahlua together with chocolate or vanilla pudding creates a delicious creamy popsicle for that sweet tooth.
When you use champagne, you can add just about any citrus fruit or berries. Oranges compliment champagne perfectly and there are some wonderful fruit combinations like orange and mango that are even better!
Whenever adding fruit to your popsicles, it’s important to make sure that they are ripe and properly pureed so that they mix with the rest of the ingredients. You don’t want to turn them into something that resembles baby food but you should give them a few pulses in the blender. Because they are frozen, they will last really long and you don’t need to worry about the fruit spoiling inside the popsicle. Of course, you don’t want to hang on to them for months! It is best to eat them within a week if you want the best flavour. It might also be best to avoid fruits that turn brown when oxidation occurs, Examples include apples and pears. If you really insists on using these fruits, you can slow or prevent the effects of oxidation by adding some lemon juice.