We’re getting a bit nostalgic here today. What did you call the ice pops that came in a sealed plastic tube and that you generally bought in a box of at least 50? At Brit HQ some of us knew them as Otter Pops, others as Flav-or-Ice, and still others as freeze pops. Whatever you called them, we can all agree that they were delicious, especially when eaten poolside or at a backyard BBQ. That’s why we were excited when we came across Zipzicles, a new product that makes it easy to make your own ice pops. And because we can’t resist spiking our sweets, we decided to turn some of our favorite cocktails into Zipzicle recipes. Because frozen treats can be a bit slushy, these sealed tubes are perfect. You can still enjoy them even if they start to melt.
What could be better than getting a bit buzzed off of an ice pop? We’re coming up blank, how about you? So let’s make some spiked Zipzicles.
The first step for all the recipes is to make a batch of simple syrup, which like its name implies, is actually quite simple. Start by bringing your water to a boil in a small saucepan. Once it’s boiling pour in your sugar, and stir until all the sugar dissolves and the mixture is clear. Remove from heat and let cool.
You can make as much simple syrup as you like, just use a one to one ratio. For these recipes we used 1 cup of sugar and 1 cup of water. For a thicker syrup, add more sugar.
You can’t go wrong with a classic strawberry margarita. The fruit in these pops make them easier to freeze, and in turn, eat.
Strawberry Margarita Zipzicles
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups strawberries, sliced
juice of 1 lime
6 tablespoons tequila
1 tablespoon triple sec
Instructions:
1. Make simple syrup by bringing water to a boil in a small saucepan and stirring in sugar until dissolved.
2. Combine sliced strawberries, simple syrup, lime juice, tequila, and triple sec in the jar of a blender. Blend ingredients until smooth.
3. Strain out seeds. (This step is optional based on whether or not seeds bother you. We left them in.)
4. Using a funnel, pour the mixture into the Zipzicle bag up to the fill line.
5. Freeze until solid. This will take several hours because of the alcohol. If you can, let the pops freeze overnight.
Make sure you’re not going past the fill line. (It might help to enlist a friend to say “when.”) The pops will expand as they freeze, and you don’t want them bursting in the freezer.
The Bramble is a lesser known cocktail made with blackberry liqueur, gin, and lemon juice. So we figured it would be a great Zipzicle with actual blackberries!
Bramble Zipzicles
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 1/2 cups blackberries
juice of 1 lemon
6 tablespoons gin
Instructions:
1. Make simple syrup by bringing water to a boil in a small saucepan and stirring in sugar until dissolved.
2. Combine blackberries, simple syrup, lemon juice, and gin in the jar of a blender. Blend ingredients until smooth.
3. Strain out seeds. (This step is optional based on whether or not seeds bother you. We left them in.)
4. Using a funnel, pour the mixture into the Zipzicle bag up to the fill line.
5. Freeze until solid. This will take several hours because of the alcohol. If you can, let the pops freeze overnight.
This recipe is a little bit different—it doesn’t have any fruit in it—which means it melts much more quickly. So grab these from the freezer and eat immediately.
Dark and Stormy Zipzicles
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 2-inch piece of ginger, peeled and sliced
juice of ½ lemon
6 tablespoons dark rum
Instructions:
1. Make simple syrup by bringing water to a boil in a small saucepan and stirring in sugar until dissolved.
2. Pour simple syrup into a bowl. Add ginger slices to the simple syrup and cover with a plate. Let steep for 25 minutes.
3. Once done steeping, scoop out the ginger slices with a slotted spoon.
4. Add lemon juice and rum, and stir to combine.
5. Using a funnel, pour the mixture into the Zipzicle bag up to the fill line.
6. Freeze until solid. This will take several hours because of the alcohol. If you can, let them freeze overnight.
Because these all have alcohol in them, make sure you stash them in the coldest part of your freezer—toward the back nestled in with foods that are already frozen solid.
Freeze for at least 4 hours, and overnight if you can. They won’t freeze as solid as pop without alcohol, but they will be hard enough that you can eat them.
Be warned that they will melt quickly when you take them out of the freezer. You can order Zipzicles on their website. You’ll get 12 tubes for $3. Which recipe do you want to try first?
Don’t forget to tell your friends that there’s tequila in there.
If the pops get a bit melty—that’s a technical term—you can still push it up from the bottom and roll the tube just like you did as a kid.
