Remember the childhood joy of slurping an icy popsicle on a hot day? These pretty pastel pops serve up summer nostalgia with a boozy adult twist.
The secret ingredient is Campari, the scarlet Italian aperitif made from herbs, spices and fruit. It's traditionally served over ice with soda water and a slice of lime or a splash of juice. A great summer barbecue drink, Campari is refreshing in the heat and mild enough (25 percent alcohol) you can sip it all afternoon without worries.
The pops are sweeter, fruitier and just plain fun. All you need is four ingredients and a couple of kiddie popsicle molds from the 99 cent store.
The pink grapefruit pops are perfect for Campari lovers - tart, with the alcohol's distinctly bittersweet flavor. If they were served in a little glass at a fancy restaurant you'd call them palate cleansing. The orange versions are sweeter, a mouthful of frosty orange with a just a little extra something. Mix up a batch of each - popsicles never felt so classy.
Campari Citrus Popsicles
Makes 10-15, depending on the sizeGrapefruit Pops
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 cups grapefruit juice
1/2 cup Campari
Orange Pops
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3 cups orange juice
1/2 lemon, juiced
1/2 cup Campari
Mix the water and sugar together in a small pan over a low heat, and bring up to boil until the sugar dissolves. Allow the simple syrup to boil for 4 minutes, remove from heat and cool (makes a little over 1 cup).
Combine the citrus juice and Campari and add 1 cup of the cooled syrup. Adjust to taste: for the grapefruit pops, you may want to add a tablespoon or two extra syrup if you prefer them less tart. Remember, the mixture will taste slightly sweeter in liquid form than it does when frozen.
Pour into popsicle molds and freeze at least 8 hours or overnight. To remove, run the molds quickly under hot water, and gently pull out the pops.
Related: All About Aperitifs, Summer Cocktail: The Americano
(Images: Liz Vidyarthi)
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oh, I love this adult version of popsicles!!!
Gorgeous colors….I don’t think Campari ever looked so good!
It must have been so fun to photograph that. Beautiful shots and then slightly buzzed in the end???
:)
Yum!
Last summer, I made pina colada pops (coconut/pineapple juice and rum) and sparkling water/elderberry liqueur pops.
Fabulous! These could well be the highlight of our Fourth of July celebration.
Oh, I cannot wait to try these! Yummy!
I shared this on Buzz --mmm!
Your photos are beautiful.
I never would have thought to make alcoholic Popsicle. Genius. I might change to different liquor to make them have a little more kick...maybe an orange/citrus rum or vodka.
I just made these last weekend, served them as a non-liquid apertif, and they were a huge hit with my guests. They're already a favourite with me!