So National Grape Popsicle Day is a thing – yes, seriously – and while we will forever love those purple, lip-staining treats of our childhood, we wanted a more sophisticated take on the frosty confection to celebrate. A wine-based, spiked popsicle was the natural solution to this conundrum (hello, wine is just grape juice for adults, right?). These fruity Rosé Sangria Popsicles are the perfect hybrid of the always-classic ice pop, but made with summertime cocktail-approved ingredients. The recipe is a simple mix of rosé wine (no need to use anything too fancy), white grape juice and your fave seasonal fruit, and makes for a refreshing, eye-catching and pleasantly boozy treat for your gang’s next happy hour festivities.
Ingredients:
Makes 8 popsicles
— 1/2 bottle dry rosé wine
— 1/2 cup white grape juice
— juice from 1/2 lemon
— 1 1/2 cups chopped mixed fruit (we used grapes, strawberries, plum and green apple)
— 1 Tablespoon sugar
Special Equipment:
— Popsicle molds and sticks
Instructions:
1. Chop up the fruit into bite-size pieces — it’s nice to cut the grapes in half and cut the strawberries into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Transfer the fruit to a small bowl and sprinkle over the sugar, then stir to combine, making sure all the pieces are evenly coated. Set aside and let it sit for about 10-15 minutes while you prep the rest of your ingredients.
2. Next, combine the rosé, grape juice and lemon juice together in a large measuring cup with a spout, and stir well. Taste and adjust if needed, adding a bit more grape juice if you want it sweeter or lemon to make it more tart.
3. At this point, the sugar should have drawn out some of the liquid from the fruit and softened the pieces slightly. Layer a couple of spoonfuls into each mold, gently stacking the pieces on top of each other — it’s nice to try and layer in alternating colors and have some strawberry slices placed along the sides. Then pour in the wine until the mold is filled just below the rim. Cover and freeze the popsicles for about an hour, then add in your sticks and freeze for another 3-4 hours until completely solid.
4. When you’re ready to serve, warm up the molds a bit with your hands to loosen them slightly, and then gently remove. These will be a bit meltier than a regular fruit juice popsicle because of the wine, so serve immediately or wrap them up and freeze for later.
Prep your fruit, cutting them into bite-size pieces. It’s nice to have a mix of colors and sweet, tart flavors that go well together. No rules here really; just pick your faves and chop away!
Adding a bit of sugar to the fruit helps draw out some of the moisture and makes them a better texture for freezing. This step is also called macerating and it comes in handy whenever you’re making fruit-based desserts or drinks.
Mix together the wine, grape juice and lemon juice until you have a nicely balanced drink — not too sweet and tart enough for your liking.
Add the fruit to the popsicle molds…
Followed by the liquid mix. Pour into each mold until just below the rim.
You can put in the sticks right away and forget about them, or put the popsicles in the freezer to set up for about an hour before adding them. This trick helps the sticks sit straight once fully frozen.
This recipe makes hosting summertime happy hour a breeze and will leave your friends beyond impressed and delighted. Plus, it has you covered for drinks and dessert!
And while these popsicles are great on their own, you can take them to another level by serving them in large wine or cocktail glasses and pouring over some leftover rosé or sparkling wine. It’s the ultimate spiked, slushy cocktail experience, and we highly recommend you give it a try!
And one last hot tip: If you have any leftover fruit and wine mix, pour it into an ice cube tray and add them to a glass of wine or bubbles for an extra flavorful way to keep your drinks cool this summer.
If you like this post, check out our drinks-inspired Pinterest board for more fun summer drink ideas!