Fruity Rosé Popsicles

Ahh… summer! The grass is green, butterflies are fluttering about, and it’s hotter than hell outside. What’s a girl to do? While I probably shouldn’t admit this, my answer is usually – you guessed it – WINE! But even a well-chilled glass of wine can’t combat the Tennessee humidity for long, so I had to get creative. Enter my new favorite summer treat: Rosé Popsicles.

 

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Heaven on a Stick

As blasphemous as this may be, I’ve never been a big fan of ice cream. I’m not lactose intolerant, but ice cream has always made me a little queasy. Popsicles were always my solution to beat the summer heat. And when a broken heart or that time of the month called for ice cream, I would just sub in chocolate and Fun-Yuns. OH! And gummy bears. I can’t forget the gummy bears. Ohmigosh!!! I need to make gummy bear popsicles, too. Keep an eye out for that recipe soon!

Anywho, I set out to combine two of my favorite summer-staples into something delicious, refreshing, and pretty. And oh, boy did I succeed.

Y’all… these things are Heavenly. They are light and juicy and fruity and incredibly refreshing. They are sweet and crisp at the same time. When I took the first bite, I heard angels singing. Actual angels. I could feel things shifting. My husband took a bite, and we looked at each other with awe on our faces. I reached for his hand before reverently whispering, “Our lives will never be the same, will they?” With his mouth slightly agape, he shook his head ‘no,’ then lifted my hand to steal another taste of the ambrosia that is this Rosé Popsicle. And I was so happy with the party in my mouth that I didn’t even get mad.

The Creative Process

The first and most important step in making these popsicles is choosing the right wine. I prefer my chilled wines to be on the sweet side, which seemed ideal for popsicles, too, so I taste-tested three wines and this Barefoot Rosé won by a landslide. It was also the least expensive option, so… BONUS!

As sweet as this wine is, it still isn’t quite popsicle-level-sweet. Simple syrup to the rescue!!! Okay, I know the “right” way to make this glorified sugar-water is on the stovetop in a saucepan. But who has time for that? Just combine equal parts sugar and water in a microwave safe bowl and pop it in the radiation box for about 30 seconds. Presto! Simple syrup, made before a pan would have even gotten warm.

The sweetness of the Rosé and Simple Syrup is popsicle-perfect, but I wanted to add some depth and a bit of citrusy brightness to these bad boys. Luckily, I had some Grand Marnier left over from a dessert recipe I’ll be sharing soon, so I added a splash to the mix, and I had EUREKA!!!

Round these awesome-pops out with the fresh flavor and bright color only summer berries can truly bring, and get ready to assemble your masterpiece.

NOTE:

Don’t happen to have any Grand Marnier lying around? No problem! I’d recommend using about 1 Tbsp. of fresh orange juice with no pulp and 1 Tbsp. simple syrup to replace the Grand Marnier. Any sweet citrus juice could also do the trick, but be cautious. Pulp will definitely change the appearance of your popsicles, and artificial lemon or lime juice probably won’t leave the best aftertaste mixed with the Rosé, even if you use simple syrup to soften it up.

Helpful Tools

If, like me, you’ve had horrible experiences with popsicle molds in the past, I highly recommend this one from Amazon: (This is an affiliate link.) Norpro Frozen Ice Pop Maker with 24 Wooden Sticks It is the first one I’ve ever used that didn’t tip over or leak at all and I used it for both this recipe and my Berry Sangria Popsicles with fantastic results!

Clumsy like me? Here is the super-lightweight spouted measuring cup I used in both recipes: (This is also an affiliate link – purchasing from it helps keep me in wine!) Arrow Cool Grip Measuring Cup 2.5c – 1 Count

Crafting the Perfect Rosé Popsicles

You will need to be able to pour this brilliantly boozy concoction into your popsicle molds without making a huge mess, which to be honest is kinda challenging for me. If you’re also accident-prone, I recommend mixing up the 8 oz. of Rosé, 2 oz. of Simple Syrup, and about 2 Tbsp. of Grand Marnier in a spouted measuring cup.

When it comes to building the Rosé Popsicles, there really should be a method to your madness. To make these babies picture-perfect, I placed one strawberry slice in the bottom of the mold, then the two halves of the raspberry went side-by-side on top of that, and finally, I balanced the second strawberry slice on top of the raspberry halves. This will keep your fruit evenly distributed and give you gorgeous Rosé Popsicles with a bit of fruit in each bite.

Next, gently pour the Rosé mix into each mold until it is almost full. Your fruit will shift around a bit, but it should stay pretty nicely spaced out. Then all that’s left is to pop the lid on your mold, push in the popsicle sticks, put it in the freezer, and wait.

NOTE:

My popsicle molds each hold 3 ounces, and since I was adding fruit I decided to aim for about 10 ounces of total liquid to make my five popsicles. It worked out perfectly! However, if your popsicle molds are larger or smaller, you may find you need to adjust the recipe a bit to compensate. I’ll be happy to help you do that if you just let me know in the comments!

The Reveal

Okay, I have a confession to make. I’m basically the least patient person on the planet. I checked on my Rosé Popsicles so many times that I’m lucky they ever froze. At about the five hour mark, they were finally solid! I recommend leaving yours in the freezer at least five hours, and preferably overnight. And don’t disturb them like I do. They like to stay in a state of nice, uninterrupted chill. So, learn from me and be patient, grasshoppers.

It’s finally time to release your creations! Fill a large pot with warm water, then set the mold inside so the water comes up to the top of each popsicle (but NOT over the top of the mold) and about 20-30 seconds later your first Rosé Popsicle will slide right out.

Now, brace yourself before you take that first bite because your world is about to change!

 

Need to Keep Them Forever? Print the Recipe!

 

Do you love these amazing Rosé Popsicles as much as I do? What else would you like to see turned into a popsicle? Let me know in the comments!