Ice, if not the most important, is definitely in the top three of the most important discoveries for the modern cocktail. Refrigeration changed the world of cocktails, and of cooking, and modern bartenders and home tenders get to create chilled wonders.
We sometimes forget the importance of the ease at which we have access to refrigeration and ice. Ice allows bartenders to correctly chill and control dilution whilst creating potations big and small, long and short. My first intro to ice was the many cool pops and ice-creams that where on offer as a child. That evokes fond memories.
With a record breaking Irish summer ahead, how can we raise our home cocktail games, to meet the refreshment and temperature cooling aid needs and demands of our cocktail aficionado friends and family? Well it is simple, we combine something from all our childhoods that we still all enjoy today, ice pops, and we kick the concept up a notch by creaking homemade cocktail ice pops!
But Who needs an excuse to partake in a boozy pop or a cocktail, all whilst partaking responsibly. It’s a great way to experiment with flavour combinations.
Is it a new concept, no! Are we recreating the wheel? No! But inspiration and guidance always helps. And as the temperature soars, here’s some fun and inspired recipes to create cocktail pops and accoutrements easily in the comfort of your home.
Everyone has favourite ice pops, ice lollies, ice creams and frozen treats they love to indulge in and we also have the cocktails we love. Trying to meld the two sounds simple, but it is not – flavours react differently when mixes are frozen. Its not as easy as, making a cocktail, shaking or stirring, then freezing, recipes and flavours need tweaking and rebalancing for “Cocktail-Pop” form.
Getting started, we need some basic equipment, measuring jugs and graduated spirit measures for smaller amounts. Large jug, long handled spoon(can be a bar spoon if you have one), ice lollie sticks and molds.
Measured Approach
Measures and sticking to ratios, when recreating any well balance drinks/cocktail related recipes is so important, measures are radily available and not overly expensive. For large batching drinks and cocktail-pops I use three types of oxo brand measure, 5ml-6oml size and 50ml-500ml size, and a cup measure set(half cup, quarter cup, 1 cup) for dry and liquid measuring available from any good kitchen wares stockist.
The Shape of Things!
There are loads of options for ice lollie molds available! I utilise silicon moulds and store bought ice lollie sticks, which allows me to create offerings in all shapes and sizes. There are also classic ice lollie molds available to buy, from simple and cheap ones to some that are of better quality and price. The internet is also a great resource for sourcing the shape molds you desire. And if you would rather a sorbet or ice cream its simple as plastic container.
Can you feel the Chill?
Most home freezers aren’t powerful enough to freeze a bottle of 40% alcohol, but with cocktail-pops the water content is higher in the mixes so we find success in our endeavours. So trying to make a pure spirit pop wont work and is not advised. Ratios are important. You want a finished cocktail-sicicle that’s the some of all parts, for the flavour, but also so it freezes correctly.
This Bramble Ice Pop is a fun and quick recipe that requires just a few ingredients, including great Irish gin.
Ingredients:
– 3/4 cup water
– 3/4 cup sugar
– 3/4 cup lemon juice
– 1 1/2 cups blackberries
– 1/2 cup Glendalough Wild Botanical Gin
– ¼ Cup Glendalough Sloe Gin
Method:
1. Blend the first four ingredients until smooth. Add Gin, Re-blend.
2. Pour equal an equal amount into popsicle molds.
3. Insert sticks and freeze until solid.
4. Makes 6-8 ice pops, depending on mold.
The Caipirinha is very easy to convert it into an cocktail pop. This pop includes everything that is great about this modern classic cocktail, including cachaca, fresh lime, fruit burst of flavour and colour, and a little sweetness
Ingredients:
– 1 1/2 cup fresh lime juice
– 1 cup strawberries
– 3/4 cup Fuba cachaca
– 3/4 cup sugar
– 3/4 cup water
– Lime cut into thin slices
– Strawberry cut in half
Method:
1. Boil water and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow to chill.
2. Mix the juice, cachaca, and syrup together with strawberries in blender
3. Pour into ice pop molds.
4. Place 1 lime slices in each mold.
5. Place half strawberry in each mold
6. Insert sticks and freeze until solid.
Makes 6-8 ice pops, depending on mold.
A favourite uplifting drink for any cocktail aficionado, frozen coffee and vodka, a great way to cool down and uplift.
Ingredients:
– 1/3 cup white sugar
– 1 cup water
– 1/4 cup Nescafe Azera intense instant coffee
– 1/2 cup Titos vodka
– 1/4 cup Tia Maria
Method:
1. Boil water and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Add coffee. Allow to chill.
2. Add vodka and coffee liqueur.
3. Insert sticks and freeze until solid.
4. Dust pops with Chocolate powder, for garnish
Makes 6-8 ice pops, depending on mold.
The Italian classic aperitivo cocktail, renowned for its bitter bite, reborn as a refreshing pop-tail with a bitter bite, with an Irish Pineapple gin, Pineapples being a symbol for hospitality amongst the bar and hospitality initiate.
Ingredients:
– 3/4 cup white sugar
– 3/4 cup water
– 1/3 cup Mor Pineapple Gin
– 1/4 cup Campari
– 1/4 cup dry vermouth
– 150ml orange juice
– 150ml pink grapefruit juice
Method:
1. Boil water and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow to chill.
2. Add all other ingredients, mix well.
3. Add to molds.
4. Insert thin slice orange into each mold.
5. Insert sticks and freeze until solid.
Makes 6-8 ice pops, depending on mold.
Who likes Pina Coladas and getting caught in the rain?! Well scrap the rain, this tropical fest is perfect to bring a tropical vibe to our Irish freezers.
Ingredients:
– ¾ cup good pineapple juice
– 115g sugar
– 1 lime, zest and juice
4- 00ml (1 tin) coconut milk
– ¾ cup Bumbu Spiced Rum
Method:
1. Heat the pineapple juice and sugar in a small pot until the sugar has dissolved and allow to cool.
2. Finely grate the green part of the lime and squeeze the juice adding this, along with the coconut milk to the pineapple juice and sugar mix.
3. Add the Spiced Rum and mix.
4. Add mix to molds.
5. Insert sticks and freeze until solid.
Makes 6-8 ice pops, depending on mold.
The Intro drink for anyone starting out exploring whiskey, sweet and sour with the nature of the whiskey staying fore front.
Ingredients:
– 1 1/2 cup fresh lime and lemon juice(equal parts)
– ½ cup granny smith apple diced and cored
– 3/4 cup Tullamore Dew
– 3/4 cup sugar
– 3/4 cup water
– 10ml Angostura bitter
Method:
1. Boil water and sugar until the sugar is completely dissolved. Allow to chill.
2. Mix the juice, Tullamore Dew, and syrup together with apple in blender till smooth
3. Pour into ice pop molds.
4. Place 1 tinned black cherry in each mold.
5. Insert sticks and freeze until solid.
Makes 6-8 ice pops, depending on mold.
It is what it says on the tin, A modern take on boozy sorbet!
Ingredients:
– 2 cups caster sugar
– 2 cups water
– 2 cups Elderflower tonic water
– 1/3 cup Bloom Gin
– zest and juice 1 lime plus extra slices to freeze
– zest 1 lemon juice of half, plus extra slices to freeze
– 1 egg white
Method:
1. Put the sugar in a pan with water and warm over a low heat until dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.
2. Pour the tonic water into a bowl, add the sugar syrup, then chill in the fridge until cold.
3. Once the tonic mix is cold, add the gin, lime and lemon zests and juice, and pour into a container, then freeze until just frozen
4. Remove the newly frozen sorbet from the freezer and break up with a fork.
5. Froth the egg white with a fork, then add both to a food processor and pulse to blitz together.
6. Pour the mix back into your container and freeze until solid.
7. Adorn with lemon and lime slices.
So there you go…
Enjoy, the creative journey, have fun, but always take care, and drink responsibly! Just because its part of frozen concoction doesn’t mean you should ever over indulge. Alcohol should be respected in all its forms. Practice, experiment and keep moving forward.
Darren Geraghty, is the Bar Manager and cocktail specialist for Candlelight Bar @ Siam Thai Dundrum and Malahide and well-respected consultant, started his career in 2000 and has represented Ireland on the world cocktail stage and won numerous Irish titles.
At Candlelight Bar, he has built the brand and bar team, focusing on of high quality but reasonably priced drinks, excellent customer service and a distinctive splash of speakeasy styled flair and theatre. The award winning Candlelight Bar has secured two for the Irish Craft Cocktail Bar Awards Best in Leinster 2016 and 2017, RAI Best Cocktail Experience and Sky Bar Awards Best Restaurant Bar 2017.
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