3 Boozy frozen treats for summer

How do you beat the summer heat? Frozen treats, of course! You can enjoy a boozy frozen treat at home, even if you don’t own any specialty kitchen gadgets.

Take your pick of these adults-only recipes (or try them all) for a great way to stay cool at your next gathering. Nonalcoholic versions are easy to make, too.

Granita is an Italian-inspired frozen dessert that comes in many flavors. This version pairs kiwi and strawberries for a tasty treat, along with tequila.

Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1-1/2 cups kiwi (about 3 kiwi), peeled and cut into pieces, plus extra as garnish
• 1 cup strawberries, stems removed, plus extra as garnish
• 1/2 cup water
• 2-3 tablespoons honey
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons tequila

Directions:

1. In a small saucepan over low heat, combine the water, honey and lemon juice. Mix and stir for a few minutes, just until the honey has melted.
2. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool to room temperature. Mix the tequila into the liquid.
3. Add the fruit to a food processor, along with the liquid mixture. Blend until smooth (you may need to use a rubber spatula to push the mixture down from the sides of the processor to the bottom).
4. Add the mixture to a shallow pan or storage container. Cover it and place it in the freezer.
5. Remove the container from the freezer after a few hours, and scratch up the frozen mixture with a fork. Place it back in the freezer.
6. After the mixture has frozen solid (after several hours or the next day), and you’re ready to serve it, scrape a fork across the surface of the mixture, and add the “shavings” to small, individual dessert bowls.
7. Serve immediately garnished with kiwi or strawberries.

These frozen margarita pops have fun written all over them and are sure to be a hit at your next summer get-together. You can find supplies like 2-ounce plastic cocktail cubes or plastic mini shot glasses and wooden cocktail skewers at most party stores. If you can reserve some of the pulp when you squeeze the fruit for juice, add it to the mixture.

Yields 12 (2 ounce) servings

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup sugar plus 2 tablespoons
• 1 cup lime juice
• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup water
• 3 tablespoons tequila
• 3 tablespoons Cointreau or another type of orange liqueur
• Zest from 1 lime

Directions:

1. Add the sugar, lime juice, orange juice, lemon and water to a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Stir the mixture for a few minutes, just until the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and allow the mixture to cool.
3. Add the tequila, Cointreau and lime zest to the mixture and stir.
4. Place your cocktail cubes or mini shot glasses in a shallow food storage container (you may need to use two). Fill with mixture. Cover if you can, and carefully place in the freezer for several hours.
5. Remove from the freezer, and when the pops are about halfway frozen, carefully add one wooden skewer to the center of each pop. The skewers should be able to stand upright on their own.
6. Place back in the freezer until the pops have frozen solid, either several hours or overnight.
7. When you’re ready to serve your pops, carefully run warm water over the outside, lower half of the pops to loosen them, then carefully pull up on the skewers to remove them.
8. Serve immediately.

Snow cones are a frosty favorite many of us haven’t had since we were kids. This adult recipe for lemon-lime beer snow cones is a festive treat to serve at your next barbecue or while watching baseball on TV. Instead of making your own sweet syrup, you can use bottled flavored syrup.

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• 2 (12 ounce) bottles of lager-style beer
• 3 cups sugar
• 1-1/2 cups water
• Juice from 2 limes
• Juice from 1 lemon
• Zest from 1 lime
• Green food coloring

Directions:

1. Add the beer to a shallow pan or storage container and cover it. Place it in the freezer for several hours.
2. Add the sugar, water, lime juice and zest, and lemon juice to a saucepan over medium-high heat. Bring the mixture to a boil, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved.
3. Remove the mixture from the heat and allow it to cool.
4. When cool, strain the mixture into a glass container with a lid, add 3-4 drops of green food color, mix, and refrigerate for at least an hour.
5. Remove the beer from the freezer after several hours. Use a fork to scratch up the beer that has begun to freeze. Add a bit of the colored liquid to the mixture and stir to combine. Place it back in the freezer for several hours. Repeat this process one more time, then freeze it overnight.
6. When ready to serve, use a fork to scrape across the surface of the frozen mixture, and add the green “shavings” to small, individual snow cone papers, or small dessert bowls.
7. Serve immediately.

More summer cocktails

4 Summery iced tea cocktails
12 Cocktails for summer sipping
Boozy s’mores milkshake