I was completely caught off guard when my computer crashed on Friday, but the fact that I was in the midst of freezing margarita pops when it happened was prescient. In case you’ve never had the pleasure of having your computer die in front of you, let me tell you that a margarita pop is mandatory following the experience.   When you then realize that the cord connecting your external hard drive to your computer for back-ups somehow got disconnected, you should also note that one margarita pop will not be sufficient.

As the wife of a Texan, I’ve grown to be particular about my margarita.  You won’t find any mixers in my pantry although you will always find good tequila and Cointreau in my liquor cabinet.  With tequila and Cointreau in hand, fresh limes are all that is needed to make up this cocktail although in recent years my husband has broken with his family’s recipe and added a little orange juice to lessen the acidity.  The resulting margarita is refreshingly tart making it dangerously drinkable.

When I decided to make the ultimate frozen margarita, I wanted to be sure to capture all the flavors that I love about the original cocktail. This required some tweaking.  As anyone who has ever kept liquor in the freezer knows, it doesn’t freeze.  I had to be careful about the amount of tequila I added to these pops to make sure they set properly. With this in mind, I omitted the Cointreau from the recipe mimicking the sweet citrus taste it provides with fresh orange juice and simple syrup.  I also opted to use Jose Cuervo instead of a top shelf liquor and was more than pleased with the results.  Save the good stuff for when you need a true margarita.

When it came time to freeze the pop, I added a pinch of salt and a very thinly sliced lime  The salt serves a purpose, but the lime slice is purely decorative and will most likely be discarded by your guests. Omit the lime if you would like, but I do think that it adds a little pizzazz to the final product making them much more appetizing.

So without further ado, let’s raise a pop to hot summer days and new computers. Cheers!

Margarita Pops – Printer Friendly Recipe
Makes 10 pops

You may be tempted to add more booze to this adult popsicle, but I advise you to resist.  Alcohol doesn’t freeze and if you add too much your pops won’t set properly.  Even with using just 1/3 of a cup of tequila as called for in the recipe you’ll notice that the resulting pops are more fragile than pops made with alcohol.

For the simple syrup:
1 cup water
1 cup granulated sugar

For the pops:
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons (about 11 limes) fresh lime juice
2/3 cup (about 2 oranges) fresh orange juice
1/3 cup tequila
10 very thinly sliced limes (optional)
Kosher salt

In a small saucepan, combine the sugar and water and bring to a simmer, stirring occasionally until the sugar dissolves.  Once simmering, cook for 3 minutes then remove from the heat and let cool for 15 minutes.  You should have 1-1/4 cups simple syrup; you will need 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons simple syrup for this recipe.  Leftover simple syrup may be saved for use in cocktails or to sweeten ice tea.

Stir together the lime juice, orange juice and tequila and add 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons simple syrup.  Refrigerate until very cold.

If using a pop maker like the Zoku quick pop maker follow package directions to make the pops.  If using plastic molds, fill the molds with the mixture and let freeze for 5 hours before serving.  Regardless of what type of popsicle maker you use be sure to add a pinch of salt to the mold before adding the liquid.  A lime slice may also be added for decorative purposes. Cheers!