Unless you’re enjoying this post from the recesses of Antarctica and sipping on a mug of piping hot cocoa, you too have been overcome by the seemingly perpetual heat wave that is Summer 2012. *Passes a Martin Luther King, Jr. funeral home fan your way* I am not a meteorologist by ANY stretch of the imagination and global warming is Greek to me. While I am trying to wrap my brain around triple-digit temperatures, I can only muster one question: ‘Whyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy!?’
What’s in my Keeping It Cool Survival Kit this summer? Ummmm…..air conditioning. Air conditioning, at least a gallon of water a day, breathable fabrics and moving around as little as humanly possible. Alas, a girl can not evolve into a total hermit from May through August.
I was out shopping late last spring and stumbled upon a set of popsicle molds that I KNEW would come in handy. You see, I’d seen several recipes for grown-up popsicles, frozen treats that were made with spirits then hand-poured and frozen at home. With these in my Keeping It Cool Survival Kit, a short jaunt to the Sub Zero freezer would have me chanting (in my best Eddie Murphy voice) “I got some iiiiiiicccce cream. I got some iiiiiiice cream.”
The beauty in making grown-up popsicles is that almost anything goes. Your standard cocktail can quickly become a frozen treat and when entertaining adults (who are of legal drinking age, of course), they are wonderful ice breakers. Pardon the double entendre.
Ever the mixologist, I used my best cocktail recipes for Cherry Margaritas and Pineapple Cilantro Jalapeno Mojitos to freeze up then cool myself down just a couple of weekends ago. Whip up a batch and your guests will soon shout “I Scream, You Scream, We ALL scream for grown up popsicles!”…at least until Fall or the temperature drops thirty degrees; which ever comes first.
Cherry Margarita Popsicles
2 cups of cherry juice
Juice of 2 lemons
1 cup of premium tequila
In a pitcher, mix all ingredients and stir. Pour mixture in popsicle molds leaving room for the handle. Freeze for 6-8 hours.
Pineapple Cilantro Jalapeno Mojito Popsicles
2 cups of pineapple juice
12 mint leaves
1/2 jalapeno pepper, seeds removed (unless you’d like to leave a few for heat)
4 tablespoons of cilantro
4 tablespoons of sugar
2 limes, cut in quarters
1 cup of premium rum
In a pitcher, muddle sugar, pepper, mint, cilantro and limes with a spoon until the green items are slightly bruised. Pour in pineapple juice and rum then stir. Pour liquid into popsicle mold. Be careful not to pour the limes or pepper in the mold; small pieces of the herbs are fine. Freeze for 6-8 hours.
Have you ever tried a grown-up popsicle? How are YOU keeping cool this summer?
Shameeka Ayers is an Atlanta-based lifestyle blogger and author who dispenses entertaining, shelter and food & wine anecdotes and advice via her alter ego, The Broke Socialite. She also produces a national tour of curated dessert-tasting experiences, Sugar Coma Events™. Her first novella, Instantly!: How Quickly I Realized I HATE My Job was released this summer.
