Recipes: Turn late summer fruits into boozy ice pops

Summer heat just begs for a refreshing treat in any form. Well, we had an even better idea: Why not combine the best of the season’s fresh fruits and delicious cocktails into a delicious treat. It even comes on a stick!

However, we’ve got some disappointing news for those of you hoping to get drunk on the sly with one of these healthy ice delights. “You can’t add too much in the way of alcohol to frozen treats as they won’t freeze!” says Morgan Greenhalgh, author of The Drink Blog.

His advice: “While they are kind of fun, I think the most ideal way to enjoy them is by having one and a cocktail on the side.”

That’s an opinion shared by Jacquee Stephens, the blogger behind I Sugar Coat It. “Popsicles are a refreshingly cool summer treat that appeal to the kid in all of us,” she says. “They evoke such wonderful childhood memories. As an adult, pairing them with a favorite alcoholic drink really creates the best of both worlds.”

Molly Yeh, founder of the aptly-named food blog My Name Is Yeh, particularly enjoys the eating and drinking process of boozy pops. “For someone with a low tolerance, it’s probably good that brain freeze stands in the way of me accidentally having my drink too quickly!”

So get to the farmer’s market, then that lovely produce home and turn it into something beautiful and delicious. Sweet tip: To get the pops out easily, place frozen molds under warm running water.

These pops are made with fresh, juicy, delicious peaches and spiked with Grand Marnier, a cognac blend with hints of tropical oranges.

Ingredients:
5 cups fresh peaches, pitted
½ cup Grand Marnier
2 tbsp raw honey
1 tsp orange zest

Directions:Place the peaches, Grand Marnier and honey in a blender and blend for about 1 minute. Stir in the zest. Pour the peach mixture into popsicle molds, freeze for at least 6 hours, or overnight.

Recipe fromJacqueline of I Sugar Coat It!

This rummy treat has two layers — and both have a fun ingredient.

Ingredients forlayer 1:

1 oz Bacardi Superior white rum
3 oz coconut milk
2 oz coconut water
2 tsp. toasted coconut shavings

Ingredients for layer 2:

1 cup baked cherries
2 oz Bacardi Black extra dark rum
5 oz coconut milk
20 dashes barrel-aged bitters

Directions:To prepare the cherries, cut them in half and remove pits. Place cherries on a baking tray lined with tinfoil and place in the oven at 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Remove and let cool.

For the first layer, combine ingredients in a cocktail shaker, then pour into popsicle molds and let freeze.

For the second layer, blend all ingredients in a blender on full speed. When all the fruit is chopped, pour into popsicle molds and freeze.

Recipe fromEmily of Gastronomista!

Tomatoes don’t get any fresher than in August. These ice pops have the signature salty spiciness of a Bloody Mary, which can be a bit odd at first, but they are refreshing, healthy and give you just the right amount of buzz to make dessert extra fun.

Ingredients:
2 cups tomato juice
1/2 cup vodka
2 cloves garlic, smashed
3/4 tsp celery salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp harissa powder
3/4 tsp Worcestershire sauce
a squeeze of lime juice
a few turns of black pepper

Directions:Whisk all ingredients together. Pour into popsicle molds or 3-oz Dixie cups. Freeze for 20 minutes. Insert popsicle sticks and freeze for two more hours. Serve with celery stalks (and an extra vodka shot) and enjoy!

Recpie from Molly ofMolly from My Name is Yeh!