"popsicles" news and stories

Can you tell a Drumstick from a King Cone or a ID your favorite brand of chocolate eclair? Take our coolest quiz yet, and then come back to share your score, or reminisce about your favorite frozen confections.

Frozen Treats ID Quiz

Joe DiStefano goes kooky for Creamsicles.

Emily Matchar crunches into a Drumstick Sundae Cone.

Marisa McClellan is wacky about Philadelphia water ice.

Jonathan M. Forester dishes on New York shaved ice and driving a Good Humor truck.

Alanna Kaufmann camps out for Firecracker Popsicles.

Max Shrem keeps cool with frozen orange juice.

Shayna Glick licks the topic of Popsicles.

Stefani Pollack takes a bite out of homemade apple juice pops.

For me, the beginning of every season conjures up images from my childhood. The changing of the seasons makes me sensitive to the passing of time. And so, while opening the freezer door on a recent particularly hot June evening, I remembered the orange popsicles I'd make during the summer. I romanticized those blisteringly hot summer days as a 7-year-old boy with both of my sisters sitting outside by our inflatable "kiddy" pool. At that moment, I felt compelled to make the same super sweet, mildly acidic, and juicy ice pops.

I went to Bed Bath and Beyond to purchase the identical plastic popsicle molds I used as a child. On the side of the plastic mold is a straw so that you can drink the orange juice that melts to the bottom. For some reason, I remember that being the most enjoyable part of the treat. As a child, creating these orange juice popsicles –pouring orange juice in the molds and placing them in the freezer-seemed so thrilling.

I highly recommend these orange juice popsicles! They're a great way to keep children excited and hydrated during the sizzling summer days. Find out some wild and crazy ice pop ideas and check out the gallery of popsicles of different shapes and sizes.

I think Popsicles were one of my favorite summertime treats. Of course I liked ice cream sandwiches and the like, but there was always just something about classic Popsicles.

The grape flavor was always my favorite. I loved the flavor, and the color they left on my tongue. I remember having to lick off the ice coating to get to the flavor, and maybe that little bit of work required on my part made me love them more. After I got the ice coating off, I'd suck all the flavor out of the top most portion and then eat the icy parts. Oh, the memories.

I remembered this recently on a walk down the ice cream aisle at my local super market. That is one of the aisles that I try to avoid, but I thought I'd just peruse it that day. Seeing the Popsicles brought out the kid in me and I ended up getting a box. What frozen treats bring out the kid in you?

As I write this post, I am sucking on a plastic stick. It's all that remains of the apple juice popsicle that I made when I started to think about writing this post. Apple juice pops were one of my favorite childhood summer treats. Sometimes years go by when I forget about them, but then on days like today, I dig out my old popsicle molds, buy some apple juice and get to freezing.

When I eat my apple juice pops, I always suck all the juice out of them first. Then, I'm left with just a pop of ice only - that is sad. I eat the ice and then, like now, all that remains is the stick.

I've considered trying a more adult version of this treat, pineapple-chile piletas (featured on Coconut and Lime), but plain, old apple does the taste and nostalgic trick for me.

Of course, I'm not talking about the ways you try to keep cool in general, such as cranking the AC, jumping into a pool, or going to the beach. I'm talking about liquid refreshment.

There are many schools of thought on this. My mom used to drink hot coffee in June, July, and August, going by the old theory that drinking hot liquids in hot months actually cools you down. I myself like iced tea and ice cold water during the summer, with some diet soda and icy Ocean Spray Light Ruby Red here and there too. Others seem to like beer and cocktails, though I really doubt their effectiveness (beyond the initial hit of cold liquid going down).

After the jump, give us your liquid solutions for the summer. Besides the drinks above, I'm thinking about asking the owner of the liquor store down the street if I can live in his giant walk in fridge for the summer..