Sarah Biren

Sarah Biren

March 20, 2024

Long Island Iced Tea Pops Are The Booziest Way To Cool Down This Summer

Nothing beats a popsicle on a hot summer day. They are so easy to make at home, with endless flavors to choose from— almost any drink can be frozen into a cool treat. And that includes booze. These long island iced tea pops don’t hold back on the alcohol, with five types of spirits in the recipe. Mix that with cola and lemon, and you’ve got the most refreshing, sweet, and boozy frozen treat to cool down outside on the porch, by the pool, or at a barbeque.

Popsicles: The Perfect Summer Treat

Interestingly, popsicles were invented by accident by 11-year-old Frank Epperson in 1905. He mixed a pack of soda mix with a stick and accidentally left the cup on his porch. So the next morning, the soda froze into a delicious treat, fixed with its own handle. After that, Epperson started making them for his friends and family. Years later, in the 1920s, he filed a patent for them. He originally dubbed them Epsicles — a combination of his name and “icicles.” However, his kids convinced him to use the name they called him: Pop. There came the name popsicles.

However, homemade ice lollies often don’t taste as good as store-bought. And there’s a reason for this. In a popsicle factory, they are flash-frozen in industrial freezers. But at home, the freezing process takes more time. Furthermore, as the popsicles freeze, the sugar and flavoring could separate. This could cause the flavor to be strong on the outside and tasteless in the middle. Meanwhile, flash-freezing ensures the ice crystals stay smaller, creating a better texture and more evenly distributed flavor. 

But don’t despair on your homemade long island iced tea pops. To make them freeze faster, place the popsicle cups in a mixture of ice and salt. Salt could lower the ice’s temperature as low as -21°F. In fact, many old-fashioned ice cream machines use this method. [1] And whatever you do, don’t open the freezer while they are setting!

Read: ‘Prosecco Drunk’ is Real, and We Have the Bubbles to Thank

Long Island Iced Tea Pops Recipe

Recipe by Makinze Gore from Delish

Ingredients

  • 1 (12-oz.) can Coca-Cola
  • 1/4 c. vodka
  • 1/4 c. tequila
  • 1/4 c. gin
  • 1/4 c. light rum
  • 1/4 c. triple sec
  • 2 tbsp. lemon juice
  • 8 (3-oz.) Dixie Cups
  • 8 popsicle sticks
  • 8 lemon rounds

Directions

  1. In a pitcher or large measuring cup, combine the Coca-Cola, vodka, tequila, gin, rum, triple sec, and lemon juice. Divide the mixture evenly between the Dixie cups.
  2. Insert a popsicle stick into the center of each lemon slice. Then place each slice on top of each cup, making sure the it fully sits on top of the Long Island iced tea mixture and there is no space in between. Freeze until solid, at least 5 hours, and up to overnight.
  3. When you’re ready to serve the Long Island iced tea pops, cut open each Dixie cup with scissors and peel it away from the pops.

Related: “Sangria Slushies” Are Like Boozy Slurpees For Adults

Invent Your Own Popsicles

Hopefully, these long island iced tea pops inspire you to make more popsicles. After all, summer has barely begun. The best thing about these frozen treats is how easy they are compared to almost any other dessert. Additionally, you keep them in your freezer, ready at any time.

The sky’s the limit. You could try freezing different drinks from juices to sodas and try mixing them. Additionally, you could add booze, like in the above recipe, for an adult treat. Bear in mind that spirits don’t freeze very easily, so be mindful of how much you pour in.

Best of all, you could make ice lollies healthy as well. You could place fruit like strawberries, peaches, bananas, and mangoes into the cups with the drink, which could be yogurt or water. You also get to control how much sugar you put in the popsicles if you are using milk or yogurt, or use a sugar substitute like honey or stevia.

To put it all together, start with a base, any liquid from sodas to juice, including yogurt, pudding, or fruit puree. Then, add some mix-ins, like sprinkles, nuts, chocolate chips, fruit, candy, you name it. [2]

If you don’t have popsicle molds, you could use popsicle sticks with Dixie cups, like in the above recipe. Or you could use ice cube trays or muffin tins with foil cupcake wrappers. Just pour the ice lolly mixture into the “molds” and cover the tray with aluminum foil. Then spear the popsicle sticks over each popsicle. The foil should keep the sticks centered and upright. Place into the freezer for 2–3 hours, and you have delicious ice pops ready for a hot summer day.

Keep Reading: Lemon Meringue Cupcakes · You’ll Love These

Sources

  1. “9 Chill Facts About Popsicles and Ice Pops.” Mental Floss. Rebekah Shoemaker. June 22, 2016
  2. “How to Make Popsicles With or Without a Mold.” Taste of Home. Nicole Doster and Sue Stetzel. May 14, 2021