Food

Does alcohol even freeze?

Alcohol has a lower freezing temperature than water, so make sure no more than 20 percent of each pop is booze – otherwise they’ll never freeze properly. Ideally, incorporate spirits with a lower alcohol content, such as Aperol or Pimms. Freeze your booze popsicles for at least 12 hours. They melt fast, so keep them frozen until the party actually starts.

What kit do I need to make alcoholic ice lollies?

To make these beauties, kit yourself out with a blender. A NutriBullet (£48) would be ideal. You’ll also need ice lolly moulds (£13). If you want to speed things up, splash out on gadget called a Zoku (£39), which freezes lollies much faster.

What flavours can I experiment with?

Blood orange and Aperol, and gin and tonic, are the big crowd-pleasers. Pimm’s works well, too. You can even turn an olive martini into an ice lolly (see recipe below). Want something more grown up? Try green tea and Japanese whisky. Riskier options include watermelon, vodka and chilli. As for avocado margaritas… they’re an acquired taste.

Where can I find the best poptail recipes?

Try The Poptail Manual by London-based food stylist and author Kathy Kordalis (published by Hardie Grant). It contains over 90 ways to enjoy your favourite cocktails in frozen form. Here’s two of her beautifully-illustrated recipes to get the party started…

Illustrations © Esme Lonsdale

Off the booze? Here’s five low-alcohol cocktails that can be turned into frozen wonders.

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