Popsicles. Made with tequila.
Do you even need to read the rest of this?
South Boston’s Loco Taqueria and & Oyster Bar is never short on creative ideas – rum punch lunch on Fridays, margarita flights, and don’t even get me started on their brunch program. But popsicles are emblematic of all that’s great about summer – school vacation, cookouts, pool parties. Add tequila, and you’ve got a potent dose of nostalgia.
Bar manager Kaitlyn Fischer introduced the frozen treats as a mid-summer special, characterizing them simply as “something fun for an off night.” Loco doesn’t serve frozen margaritas, so the popsicles seemed like a novel way to beat the heat.
The popsicles’ unsurprising popularity has kept them on the menu. A fresh batch is ready every Thursday, and they usually sell out by the weekend. The recipe changes from week to week.
Cocktails on a Stick
As Kaitlyn explained, making boozy popsicles is more involved than simply pouring booze and fruit juice into a mold and waiting for the magic to happen. Alcohol doesn’t easily freeze, so the trick is finding the right proportion of tequila: use too little, and the flavor won’t be noticeable; use too much, you’ll have a sticky, semi-solid mess on your hands (literally).
Furthermore, Kaitlyn uses fresh ingredients in the popsicles, such as mint leaves and fruit, which adds a layer of complexity. The result is no mere dessert but a bona fide cocktail on a stick. Each popsicle is served in a wine glass with spiked seltzer, which seems to slow the melting and contributes some extra flavor.
Summertime Flavors
This week, three versions are available. A popsicle made with pineapple juice, mint, and tequila, served with lime seltzer, is almost like a tequila tiki drink. Getting to the mint leaves in the middle is an unexpected delight.
A rosé sangria popsicle is made with a blend of rosés, tequila, club soda, grapefruit juice, and berry simple syrup, served in a cranberry seltzer. Strawberry slices add texture and freshness. Finally, the classic tequila sunrise gets the frozen treatment with orange juice, grenadine, and tequila.
Kaitlyn’s got popsicle production down to a science at this point, so you can count a new batch every Thursday. But like summer itself, they go fast, so enjoy them while you can.
Address: 412 W. Broadway, Boston
Website: locosouthboston.com
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