This sweet, summery treat is a perfect way to beat the heat and get your buzz on. Inspired by the flavors of orange-scented summer in Israel.
Preparation time:
1 hour 15 minutes, plus 8 hours to freeze.
Ingredients:
1 bottle of sparkling wine
1 ½ cup pomegranate juice
¼ cup pomegranate molasses
The zest of two oranges
Supplies:
Directions:
To zest your oranges, first rub an ice-cube over the skin. This releases the oils and flavors. Finely grate the orange skin until you see white; avoid grating the white rind as it has a bitter flavor.
Combine pomegranate juice, molasses, and orange zest in a large bowl. Whisk well to dissolve pomegranate molasses. Let sit for at least 30 minutes at room temperature to let flavors combine.
Pour a bottle of your sparkling wine of choice into a large bowl. I used a reasonably priced bottle of Prosecco; remember you won’t be able to fully taste the sparkling wine, so don’t splurge on a nice bottle.
It is important to let the carbonation release before freezing. Let the bubbles dissipate for at least one hour.
There might be some variation in the size of your popsicle molds; mine hold ½ a cup of liquid each. You want each popsicle to be half juice and half sparkling wine.
Fill each mold, using a measuring cup, with ¼ cup juice mixture and ¼ cup sparkling wine.
Place popsicle mold on a rimmed baking sheet and place in the freezer. This will keep your freezer clean if there is any overflow. Remember that liquids expand when frozen, so don’t fill your molds up all the way to the top. Pomegranate juice stains!
Let freeze for at least 8 hours.
To free your popsicle from the mold, run under warm water for a few seconds to break the seal from the mold.
Go outside, get some sun, and enjoy!!
P.S. If you want a more boozy popsicle, you can add some liquor of your choice. Just make sure to use this handy formula to make sure your popsicles will freeze once you up the alcohol content.
