Bourbon-Peach Pops

I came across this peach popsicle recipe that includes bourbon. (In order to label something "bourbon," it has to be made with at least 51% corn.) It originated in the book Perfect Pops. I have made a few adjustments and changed the whole recipe to be by weight. The above recipe is a 4x6 card, so you can download it and print it on 4x6 photo paper to keep in your personal recipe file. This recipe will make about 30 fl. oz. of juice, which is enough to fill a 10-mold, 3-oz. silicone popsicle mold. You need to adjust the recipe for other sizes of molds.

For equipment, you will need:

1. Scale that weighs grams. Mine is a Taylor I got from Target.
2. A blender that liquefies. I use a Vitamix 5400.
3. A small bowl to use for weighing. You can get these at Dollar Tree; I think they are 3 for $1.25.
4. Popsicle molds, sticks, and bags. I got all of these on Amazon.
5. Freezer container or bag. Another thing you can get at Dollar Tree, although I use a Kroger coupon to buy their brand cheap.
6. Because someone will complain if I don't mention it, you will also need a freezer

For ingredients, you will need:

1. 650g thawed frozen peach slices*
2. 70g Granulated sugar
3. 40g Bourbon (Red Stag is my favorite)
4. 20g Lemon juice

*You could use peeled, fresh peach slices as well.

Place blender bottle on scale, and tare the scale. Then add the peaches.

NOTE: The picture shows 560g on the scale. Please make sure you use the full 650g.

Place small bowl on the scale, and tare the scale. Measure sugar in the bowl, then dump it into the blender.

Place the bowl back on the scale, and tare the scale. Measure bourbon in the bowl, then dump it into the blender.

Place the bowl back on the scale, and tare the scale. Measure lemon juice in the bowl, then dump it into the blender.

Run blender to liquefy the ingredients.

Pour into molds and insert sticks.

Place on a flat, level surface in the freezer, and freeze until firm (at least 6 hours or up to 1 week).

Take the pops out of the mold using whatever method is recommended by your mold manufacturer. Wrap each pop individually, and place all the pops in a freezer container, such as a zipper-seal bag.

This is a fairly simple recipe to make. There is no prep work, and as long as you use a scale, there are no measuring cups or spoons to deal with. Clean-up, therefore, is just that one small bowl and the blender bottle.

On raising the pop to my lips, there is a definite smell of alcohol, though not overpowering. The taste was sensational. I got both the bourbon and the peaches in every lick. Again, the bourbon was not overpowering. The flavors seemed to blend together well, including the sugar (a little bit sweet but not like candy) and the lemon juice (a little bit tart but not sour). I like this recipe better than the Peach Yogurt-sicle I made. Whereas that one was quite dense and solid, this pop was crystalline and brittle, almost like eating an Italian ice on a stick. This is almost definitely because alcohol doesn't freeze at the same temperature as water. I was constantly worried the pop would fall apart, but it didn't. I'll update this description if necessary as I eat the remaining pops.

As for cost, the non-sale prices of the ingredients resulted in a 79¢ cost per pop, including the sticks and the bags. What I am trying to replace costs 83¢ per pop at full price. If I were to rate this strictly on cost, the store-bought pops on sale could beat these pops on sale. However, I like the taste of these pops better than those. The home-made have a more complex set of flavors. They make me wish I could have an adult popsicle business. So, I will definitely be making these again somewhere down the road.

Feb. 25, 2025: After a couple days in the freezer, I unmolded the pops to put into bags. Unfortunately, only two of the pops came out cleanly. The others left behind their tops in the molds. I may have to change the recipe to have less alcohol. I'll update this Instructables again when I make a second batch. This also taught me to finish EVERY STEP of an Instructable before posting, just in case something like this happens at the end.