Hot days, cold pools, ice cream trucks and adult beverages--combine all of the delights of summer into one with these icy cold fruit, herb and liquor-filled treats! The recipes are simple, the ingredients can be tailored to anything you have laying around your kitchen, garden and bar, and the results could not be more refreshing and delightful. Today I’m making two different boozy popsicles--a spin on a French 75 with Gin, Prosecco, St. Germain and Rosemary and a sweet and fruity Mint-Berry Rosé with Blueberry, Mint and a lightly sweet Rosé.
The process was pretty easy and only took about 20 minutes plus an overnight stay in the freezer to turn into the perfect treat!
Step One: Gather Ingredients: Gin, Prosecco, St. Germain, Rose, Lemons, Berries, Assorted herbs (I used mint and rosemary from my garden) and a popsicle mold.
Step Two: Make Simple Syrup: Combine equal parts sugar and water, bring to a boil and let cool. While the simple syrup is cooling, measure out your wine and spirits. For the French 75, I used 12 oz Prosecco, 4 oz of Gin, 2 oz St. Germain, 6 oz Lemon Juice and 4 oz Simple Syrup.
For the Mint-Berry Rosé, I used 18 oz rosé wine and 6 oz simple syrup.
Step Three: Add fruits, herbs and garnish to your molds. I added very thinly sliced lemon rounds and sprigs of rosemary to the French 75 and frozen blueberries and mint to the Mint-Berry Rosé.
Step Four: Fill molds nearly to the top, leaving about an ⅛ inch gap to account for expansion. Put the popsicle mold lid on. Insert your popsicle sticks and freeze for 6-12 hours depending on the alcohol content of your creations.
Step Five: Unmold by pulling gently on the sticks to remove the popsicles. If they don’t come out easily, set the whole mold in warm water for about 15 seconds and then remove the popsicles.
Step Six: Enjoy!
The great thing about these grown-up popsicles is that they are a fantastic way to use up leftover wine and spirits and make a surprising and refreshing addition to all summer activities!
For more great ways to use and pair wine this summer, check out some of The Chopping Block's great wine-focused classes like: Summer Cocktails & Appetizers, Summer Synergy: Wine & Grilled Food Pairing and Swirl, Sniff, Slurp. And join us for Happy Hour every Thursday from 5pm-7pm at Lincoln Square and every Tuesday from 4pm-6pm at the Merchandise Mart.
And if you’re dying to try these boozy pops, swing by our stores to pick up some great summer wines and some Tovolo Popsicle Molds!