Endless Poptails: Orange Creamsicles

Competing against the fruit based poptails this week is an ice cream based poptail. Remember those orange creamsicles when you were a kid–bright sugar glowing orange on the outside and ice cream on the inside around the stick?

I’m here this week to bring back that bit of nostalgia with an adult twist, but without any adult complication.

In staying that with that theme, I skipped the sheathing or any swirling or layering finishing effect for a 1 bowl, 3 ingredient, simple-style poptail. That’s right I threw the chopped up Valencia oranges, vanilla ice cream and Marshmallow vodka all into a food processor bowl and pulse, whirl, pour – done. It’s spot on like the orange creamsicle but with a heavy hint of booziness.

Parting note: Forget the napkins, popsicle drips are best wiped away by using the front of your shirt -just ask any kid.

Orange Creamsicle Poptails

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Endless Poptails: Melon Berry Diablo

When someone tells you your food is “interesting,” is that the equivalent of being told you look homely?

It’s a shitty statement to make about someone’s food. And I had a pissed off look to follow after being told my cocktail popsicles were “interesting.” Maybe I’m too defensive—I know food is subjective.  But I still felt like shoving this popsicle in the guy’s face and asking him how interesting that way.

What he labeled interesting was this tequila-based, honeydew-body popsicle, which is  mixed with ginger beer and softly stirred with a raspberry cassis syrup, turning the classic Diablo cocktail into an Endless Simmer Poptail classic that is anything but just  “interesting.”

Melon Berry Diablo Poptail

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Endless Poptails: Grilled Mango Smash

 

I’m going to be upfront and set this post up properly: I’m a baker, not a griller. I’m not saying that because I rock heels over flip flops for weekend outings.  Grill’n is just not my thing. As a result I’m the worst kind of griller. I’m always lifting the hood a few too many times and turning the heat up and down too much—I grill with self-doubt.

So for this recipe it wasn’t bravery that stirred me to action. Nope. It wasn’t even the Esquire article about this new breed of female master grillers, that is, until I got to the grilled margarita recipe. Grilled drinks?

Yeah, go ahead, I’ll wait while you grab your tongs.

Here’s what I made after grabbing mine: Grilled Mango Smash.  Think sweet mango grilled to the point when the sugar is sweated to the surface for a dark smoky carmelized flavor. Lighting up that sweetness is the fire from the tomatillo and quietly but confidently nudging its way in is a slight peppery bite from the basil. And finally, lying beneath all that is a layer of that belly-grabbing barbeque flavor. It’s awesomeness on a stick.

Grilled Mango Smash

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Endless Poptails: Limoncello and Raspberry Whiskey Sour

Sometimes I’m so over myself, not in the teenage angst or a depressive sort of way. Just over the madness and procrastination I create from going from frenetically over-committing to complete laziness. This poptail was slated for Wednesday, then Thursday, now it’s Friday — apologies BS. But here’s the thing: when it comes time to deliver I give it my best. I never half-ass shit. This doesn’t always work out so well, since if it flops — well, I’m dead against the wall. But sometimes, like this time, it works out well in the most awesome way.

I know bragging is not en vogue, but I’m not bragging. I threw together some flavors and booze and the ingredients did the rest by blending and playing well with one another. The whiskey evens out the bite of the limoncello, especially if you buy storebought limoncello that can sometimes taste like cough syrup.  The raspberries provide a tart balance to the sour lemons and it makes for one cool floating layer. That’s right, you can make this with the raspberry layer floating since its lighter in volume than the limoncello layer.

Oh, and no sticks required, for this poptail. It’s Have Your Way Friday – yeah, for real. No bullshit, okay, kinda  – excuse the snypatic misfire of my brain. I lamed out and forgot them. Sticks or not – these are still totally edible! Cheers!

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Endless Poptails: Red Velvet Dark and Stormy Popsicle

I realize I’m late to the ginger beer scene, but hey — I made it. Now that I’m here, I’m bringing some ginger beer poptails with me.  Think dark and stormy cocktail pushed up against the sweetness of apricot syrup.

Along with that, I also brought something else I just discovered:  red velvet apricots. Intriguing, huh? They are, but not as much as the name might suggest. It’s a basic apricot, wrapped in a deep purple skin, smaller and more concentrated in flavor. But to be fair, I guess I was expecting another layer of flavor, another level of fruity mystic  — something  other than a punched up flavor of its traditional orange-hued cousin.

The upside of that is if you can’t find the red velvet apricots the regular ones will do just fine for these dark and stormy poptails.

Red Velvet Dark and Stormy Poptail

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Endless Poptails: Blueberry Cabernet Cheesecake

Blueberries, wine, cheesecake…in a popsicle. Yes, it’s possible to have all that in a poptail. I went against my usual hard liquor & fruit for dessert profile and instead took a blueberry cheesecake recipe, then shot it up with some cabernet sauvignon and froze it.

The cabernet gives the blueberry its full bodied shot of booze, while the eggless, heavy cream and cream cheese mixture gives the popsicle its cheesecake cred, and the little bit of graham cracker crumb inserted for a crust-like authenticity brings it all home.

This holiday weekend, forget trying to find a way to juggle your wine in one hand your dessert in the other — just mix them into one and lick your way through.

Blueberry Cabernet Cheesecake Popsicle

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Endless Poptails: Watermelon Blackberry Margarita

Anyone know if the five-second rule applies to popsicles? It would seem that a perspiring popsicle would probably pick up more microbial friends than say, a fallen cupcake, right? Hmm, it would seem, but to be safe — if your poptail falls on the floor, give it a quick run under cold water and then pour some tequila over it. Fallen poptail saved.

Three days later — no ill effects. I feel fine. The takeaway is that you really can eat off my kitchen floor. In case you’d rather not, you can make your own margarita poptail with this recipe using watermelon, some limeade and a few blackberries for a punch of tartness. And of course, don’t forget the tequila and triple sec. Once you do make this you’ll see why I refused to let my fallen poptail go to waste.

Watermelon and Blackberry Margarita Poptail

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