Summer Popsicle Party

It may be August, but that doesn’t mean summer has to end just yet! In fact, the actual last day of summer isn’t until September 21! Score. So here we are again, my girl Kelly and I are back at it with a heck of a summer popsicle party because let’s be real, we want to give you any excuse to party this August (…and well every month, too!)

Any Excuse to Party: A Summer Popsicle Party!

There’s little I love more than a cocktail that perfectly balances sweetness with a little kick. Mezcal, for example, is a staple in my home. That smoky, kick-in-the-behind flavor is hard to beat. But, I think we might have done just that! To create our little summer popsicle party, it had to all start with the popsicle! And Kelly was so awesome as to let me run with a jalapeño grapefruit popsicle, even though she doesn’t love grapefruits. What a gal, #amiright? Even if you don’t enjoy grapefruit, you’ve got to admit that this pink party is quintessential summer.

Decor: Summer colors

by Kelly: When I think about popsicles, I think about summer, and when I think about summer, I think of bright colors. I took my inspiration one step further and pulled color inspo from the grapefruits and jalepeños that Gabi chose for her popsicle recipe, and voilà! We had ourselves a color scheme of pink, orange, and green. I just love how the colors popped alongside our wood popsicle stick frames. For a final touch, I pulled in some of the popsicle ingredients like grapefruit and jalepeños to add an extra pop (pun intended)!

Eat: Jalapeño Grapefruit Popsicles

These popsicles. I can’t even. I almost can’t even believe I used ‘I can’t even’ in a blog post, but damn are these t.a.s.t.y. Better yet, you probably already have 50% of the ingredients (2 of 4!) in your kitchen! Heck yeah. I loved these popsicles more than I actually thought I would, so I call that a win. They definitely do have a kick, so if you’re hoping to cut back on the spice, simply use less jalapeño slices in your simple syrup. Oh yeah, I made you jalapeño simple syrup.

What you’ll need to make 8 popsicles:

• Freshly squeezed juice from 5 grapefruits
• 1 sliced grapefruit
• 1 jalapeño – washed, seeded, and sliced
• 1/2 cup water
• 1/2 cup sugar

Instructions:

1. Make your jalapeño simple syrup. Mix water and sugar over medium-high heat until dissolved. Remove from heat and add jalapeño slices. Let cool for 15 minutes.
2. Mix your freshly squeezed grapefruit juice with as much (or little) simple syrup as you’d like. The more simple syrup you add, the sweeter and spicier it’ll be!
3. Add grapefruit slices and remaining slices of jalapeño to your popsicle molds. Fill with grapefruit juice.
4. Freeze for 4 hours…..then enjoy!

DIY: Popsicle Art

• Popsicle sticks
• Wood stain (small can…or sample!)
• Rag or cloth that you don’t mind getting dirty or staining
• Hot glue gun
• Small magnets
• String
• Thumbtack

1. Stain your popsicle sticks with a stain of your choosing. I used Minwax Early American because I had some extra lying around, but you can use any color you’d like! Using a rag, apply a light coat to four popsicle sticks, making sure to cover all sides and removing any excess, allowing to fully dry.
2. Using a hot glue gun, attach two magnets at both ends of each popsicle stick. Be sure that the magnets line up with one another correctly so that you have two pairs of popsicle sticks that attach to each other!
3. Cut string to desired length, and tie each end around the magnets on one of the popsicle sticks. This will be the top of your frame.
4. Place your favorite photo or artwork (or popsicle menu!) between the two sets of popsicle sticks and let the magnets do the work.
5. Hang on the wall using the string and a thumbtack, and tada! You’ve got yourself a quick and easy grown-up popsicle stick frame. Make as many as you’d like for extra impact!

Drink: Jalapeño Grapefruit Cocktail

Y’all this drink is too good. So refreshing, so sweet, so spicy, so summery for your summer popsicle party. The tart grapefruit juice is offset by the St-Germain (my favorite thing ever) and honey, and it’s all rounded out with your light crushed ice, which honestly makes me think of summer every time for some reason unbeknownst to me. Then you add in your jalapeño grapefruit popsicles and oh man, it’s like magic. As your popsicle melts, your drink gets spicier. An enjoyable spicy, though. Well..if you’re into that thing (ahem..I am).

What you’ll need for 2 drinks:

• Crushed ice
• 4 ounces gin
• 1 ounce St-Germain
• 1 grapefruit, juiced
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 lime
• Club soda

Instructions:

1. Add grapefruit juice, St-Germain, gin, honey, and juice from 1 lime to shaker. Add ice and shake for 15 seconds.
2. Fill glass with crushed ice and pour drink mixture over the ice.
3. Top off with club soda.
4. Fill glass with more crushed ice (if desired) and garnish with grapefruit zest and your jalapeño grapefruit popsicles!

Flora

by Kelly: With a color scheme in mind, I headed to my local grocery store in search of flowers, and you can imagine my excitement when I found these gladiolas on sale for just $4 a bundle! Two bundles and just $8 later I had more flowers than I knew what to do with and they fit perfectly with the theme. I also loved that the shape was long and narrow, just like a popsicle! Talk about perfection!

Have we convinced you to host your own summer popsicle party? If so, what other types of popsicles would you want to serve? I’ve got a whole Pinterest board for that! Can you tell I’m really into popsicles this summer?

g.