"The mixologist scene has evolved so much that it was only a matter of time that it would go into Popsicles," says Liko Soules-Ono of Lickpops, a new vendor at this weekend's Eat Real Festival in Oakland's Jack London Square. Lickpops offers a Salty Dog ice pop, with grapefruit, strawberries, vodka and salt, as well as its virgin balsamic strawberry.
These boozy pops have inspired a nickname sure to offend bartenders everywhere - poptails - which is also the title of a new cookbook by Bay Area author Erin Nichols.
It's a trend seen across the country, at least where state regulations allow it.
Soules-Ono worked for five years as a bartender at Zuni Cafe in San Francisco. Tim Stewart, co-founder of Pop Nation, another local company, also recently worked behind a bar in San Francisco.
"With pops, the flavors are limitless. Adding spirits and liqueurs in there adds a whole other dynamic," says Stewart, who sells his wares at farmers' markets, events and a few stores. Like Lickpops, Pop Nation's lineup is mainly alcohol-free, but it also makes flavors like Cabernet berry and bourbon peach.
Ice pops and modern cocktails overlap in many ways, including the use of fresh fruit purees and simple syrups. Since cocktails taste best chilled, a frozen pop is an ideal delivery vehicle. The only problem, of course, is that alcohol doesn't freeze, so the challenge is to use just enough of it to conjure up the flavor of the original cocktail without turning it to slush.
"There's a fine line with getting it to taste right," says Stewart. "If you add too much (alcohol), it falls apart." Yet alcohol can actually improve the texture of the final product, adding creaminess, he says.
Bar Gelato, part of Gelateria Naia in Hercules, makes a creamy whiskey pop using a concentrated version of single-malt whiskey from St. George Spirits in Alameda. The company has also given out mojito pops made with rum, mint and lime juice at UC Berkeley. Because the pops' alcohol percentage is far below the maximum percentage of alcohol allowed in nonalcoholic treats, there's no need to worry about serving to minors, says Bar Gelato co-founder Trevor Morris.
San Francisco author Karen Solomon includes recipes for boozy ice pops in her do-it-yourself book "Can It, Bottle It, Smoke It," including Salted Margarita Cream Pops made with key lime juice and zest, condensed milk and just 1 1/2 tablespoons of Tequila for six pops.
"Since you have to limit the amount of booze, you're not going to be wearing a lampshade on your head on the end," she says. "That flavor's still there and it offsets the sweetness really nicely. It puts a black tie on a clown suit."
Ice pop makers occasionally get requests for alcoholic flavors from children, who see the pretty colors and don't realize what they are made of, says Soules-Ono of Lickpops.
"I have to point them in the direction of the strawberry lemonade or the Mexican chocolate," he says.
Mojito Bars
Makes six 3-ounce bars
These mojito-inspired ice pops come from Bar Gelato, an offshoot of Gelateria Naia of Hercules.
1/4 bunch fresh mint
1/2 cup fresh lime juice (7-8 limes)
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons light rum
Instructions: Muddle the mint using a mortar and pestle.
Transfer the mint to a blender with the lime juice, water, and sugar; blend until the sugar dissolves. Add the rum and pulse the blender to combine. Pour the mixture through a strainer, then into molds. Freeze until set, for at least 4 hours.
Per bar: 78 calories, 0 g protein, 19 g carbohydrate, 0 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 0 g fiber.
Bourbon Peach Pops
Makes 10 3-ounce pops
Pop Nation likes to use Bulliet or Maker's Mark bourbon in these ice pops, because the relatively sweet bourbons work well with the sweet fruit. You'll need to reserve one thin slice of peach to put in each mold.
1 1/2 pounds very ripe organic yellow peaches
4 tablespoons bourbon
2 tablespoons honey or raw organic sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
-- Grated zest of 1/2 lemon
Instructions: Bring a large pot of water to boil. Cut 1-2 peaches into a total 10 thin slices; set aside.
Score the bottom of the remaining peaches by cutting an X through the skin only. Drop the peaches into the boiling water to blanch, about 45 seconds to 1 minute or until skin can be easily removed. Remove the peaches from the boiling water, run them under cold water, then remove the skin and pits.
Combine the peach flesh with the bourbon, honey, lemon juice and lemon zest in a blender; puree. Taste, and adjust the amount of lemon juice, bourbon or sweetness. Pour into molds; add a peach slice to each mold. Freeze until solid, about 3 hours.
Per pop: 52 calories, 0 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate, 0 g fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 0 mg sodium, 1 g fiber.
