Poptails

More About This Recipe

• What's a poptail? It's your answer to summer's heat -- chilly freezer pops made from your fave cocktails!
  
  If your summers are anything like the ones in my part of the world, you spend pretty much the full three months drenched in sweltering heat. Like the kind of heat that when you get in your car you almost die of heat asphysixation -- and I’m not exaggerating.
  
  My goal in the summer? Get somewhere cool fast and give me something cold and delicious even faster.
  
  Hmm…doesn’t a fruity freezer pop sound like it would hit the spot? How about a colorful “poptail” with chunks of peaches, strawberries and mint leaves. Oh and don’t forget the vino.
  
  For those who don’t wish to imbibe, how does a creamy non-alcolic orange pop strike your fancy? Yea…I thought you’d like that.
  
  So, to make your own fabulous ice pops, you’ll need the following:
  
  Ice candy bags -- purchase them here
  A funnel -- purchased at your local grocer
  All of your ingredients, of course!
  
  After checking out this article on ice candy, I discovered that I was able to take my favorite wine/sangria/cocktail recipes and turn them into delicious pops -- putting my own spin on this fun idea. Pretty good discovery, if I do say so myself.
  
  So take your favorite wine and fruit combination and put it into the blender. Let’s say pinot noir and blackberries. Mix them in the blender until they have a nice beautiful color.
  
  Place a very long ice candy bag into a tall glass to hold it upright while you fill it, then pour the blended concoction through a funnel into the bag. Leave some room at the top to tie the bag tightly.
  
  Note: The funnel is imperative. Just don’t even try without it. Get a funnel for a couple bucks and you’ll be happy.
  
  Once you’ve filled and tied your bags, put them into the freezer. And you’ll need to plan ahead because it takes a few hours to freeze -- like 4 hours. Or overnight. Alcohol freezes slower than other liquids. (Another discovery.)
  
  Non-Alcoholic Version
  
  This brings me to my next point -- freezer pops for non-alcohol fans.
  
  Freeze a GoGurt. Yes, a GoGurt -- you know -- those yogurts for kids in skinny little plastic packages that are meant to be frozen! I used banana flavored.
  
  Put an unwrapped frozen GoGurt into an ice candy bag and fill around it with orange soda. This one tastes like the creamy orange-flavored pops we all remember and love, with the creaminess smack dab in the middle!
  
  Flavor Combos
  
  I made these flavor combos for my pops:
  
  Orange soda and banana GoGurt (non-alcoholic)
  Pinot noir and blackberry
  Strawberry mojito -- white wine, mint leaves and strawberries
  Peaches  and sangria
  
  I love the beautiful colors and fresh taste of them all. You can get creative and make up your own combos.
  
  Make these for your next BBQ and save your friends from the heat!