Tested and Perfected by Food and Wine
Cucumber-Lime Pops with Gin
© Cedric Angeles

Cucumber-Lime Pops with Gin

Contributed by
  • ACTIVE:
  • TOTAL TIME: 30 MIN Plus 1 hr 30 min freezing
  • SERVINGS: Makes 10 pops

Tim Love freezes all kinds of cocktails on sticks for backyard parties, but his cucumber-mint version is especially good on a blazing-hot day. To prevent the pops from melting too quickly, he adds gelatin to the mixture.

  1. 1/2 cup sugar
  2. 1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
  3. 1/4 cup coarsely chopped mint leaves
  4. 2 teaspoons finely grated lime zest
  5. 1/4 cup fresh lime juice
  6. 1/4 cup gin
  7. One 12-ounce cucumber—peeled, seeded and pureed (1 1/4 cups)
  8. 1/2 teaspoon unflavored powdered gelatin
  1. In a small saucepan, combine the sugar with the 1/4 cup of water and the mint and bring to a boil. Cover, remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Strain the mint syrup into a large bowl and let cool to room temperature. Whisk in the lime zest, lime juice, gin and cucumber puree.
  2. In a microwave-safe bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over the remaining 1 tablespoon of water and let stand until softened, 5 minutes. Microwave the mixture at high power for 8 seconds, until the gelatin dissolves. Whisk the gelatin into the cucumber mixture.
  3. Arrange ten 2-ounce paper cups on a baking sheet. Pour the popsicle mixture into the cups and freeze for 1 hour, until partially frozen. Insert a stick in the center of each cup and freeze for 30 minutes longer, until fully frozen. Tear off the paper and serve.