Buzz
Alcoholic popsicles are a fun idea, but due to ethanol’s low freezing point, it’s not as easy as just pouring alcohol into a mold and freezing it. Don’t let that stop you from making awesome frozen, boozy pops. The key is paying attention to the alcohol by volume (ABV).
Here, you'll find general tips on how to work with beer, wine, and liquor, plus some tasty recipes I've put together just for you. Measurements are given in “parts,” not specific volumes, because I don't know the size of your popsicle molds, and it's much easier to scale this way. (Trust me, you’ll want to scale up!)
But First, A Little Math
To create an alcoholic ice pop that won’t turn into a slushy mess when you take it out of the mold, aim for an overall ABV of 8%. Some beers are already at or below this level, so you can freeze them as is. For stronger drinks, though, a bit of math is necessary. Don’t worry, it’s simple. By using the basic dilution formula you might have learned in chemistry, we can easily figure out how much booze to add to our popsicles:
C1V1 = C2V2
The letter 'C' represents concentration, while 'V' stands for volume in the equation.
Knowing the desired final concentration, we can substitute '8%' for C2. We'll also assume we want a final volume of 6 ounces for the popsicle, made with Hendrick’s which has an ABV of 44%. (It’s crucial to keep the concentration units consistent throughout the equation, either in percent or proof, but not both.) The equation now becomes:
(44%)(V1) = (8%)(6 ounces)
V1 represents the amount of liquor we need to add to the popsicle mixture.
To find V1, we need to rearrange the equation, which leads us to this result:
V1= (8%)(6 ounces)/(44%) = 1.1 ounces
Of course, 1.1 ounces can be a bit tedious to measure, so just round it down to a full ounce of liquor for every five ounces of other liquid. Your popsicle will freeze just as well, and you’ll still get an entire shot of gin in there—what a win! Anyway, that’s enough math for today. Let’s move on to making some delicious booze-pops.
Beersicles
Unless you're dealing with imperial-style beers (which basically says 'look at how much alcohol we packed into this brew!'), most beers stay below our 8% ABV limit. This means you could easily pour some beer into a mold and call it a day, but that wouldn’t be much fun. On a hot summer day, I'm usually in the mood for something a bit more tangy, like a fruity sour, so I grabbed a bottle of New Belgium’s Tart Lychee ale and went from there.
Sour Cherry Beer Popsicles
Ingredients
Fresh, pitted cherries
A tart, refreshing sour beer with an alcohol content of no more than 8%
Directions
For a touch of elegance, slice a few cherries and set the slices aside (6-8 slices per popsicle). Take a handful of pitted cherries and blend them into a puree using a food processor, blender, or immersion blender. Mix 1 part cherry puree with 4 parts beer, stirring until the beer's fizz settles. Add the cherry slices into your molds and carefully pour in the cherry-beer mixture. Insert sticks and freeze overnight.
Wine-O Popsicles
The alcohol content in wine can vary from bottle to bottle, but I typically go for one with an ABV of 13-15%. This allows for the simple 1:1 ratio of wine to all the other ingredients. If you pick a wine with a higher ABV, just be sure to adjust the ratio accordingly using the dilution calculation above.
Rosé has become the go-to wine for summer, so a rosé popsicle is the perfect treat. This recipe pairs dry rosé with a sweet elderflower beverage (I used the IKEA concentrate to make mine), creating a refreshing popsicle that still feels elegant and sophisticated.
Elderflower Rosé Popsicles
Ingredients:
A dry rosé with an ABV of no more than 15%
IKEA elderflower concentrate
Directions:
Follow the instructions on the elderflower drink concentrate and mix it with an equal amount of rosé. Pour the mixture into popsicle molds, add sticks, and freeze overnight.
Lick Your Liquor
The best part about freezing cocktails is that you can enjoy them while lounging on a pool float without the fear of spilling them everywhere. This recipe combines some of my favorite summer flavors: gin (my ultimate bff), cool cucumber, and refreshing mint and lime.
Cucumber Mint Gin Popsicles
Ingredients:
1 part gin (I prefer Hendrick's for that cucumber flavor)
5 parts limeade
4 fresh mint leaves
Fresh cucumber, de-seeded and sliced into sticks
Directions:
Muddle the mint leaves in a glass with some gin until they're well mashed. Strain the gin into your limeade and stir to combine. Lay the cucumber sticks horizontally in your mold and carefully pour the gin-limeade mixture over them. Freeze overnight.
Feel free to experiment beyond my recipes. With the equation provided, you have the freedom to create frozen alcoholic treats using any spirit of your choice. Go wild, have fun, and remember not to take things too seriously. Sometimes things won’t freeze properly, but that's perfectly fine. In that case, you’ve got yourself an alcoholic slushy, and let’s be real, alcoholic slushies are always a win.
Photos by Claire Lower.
