Peppy pops: They’re liquor on a stick

James Bond may have provoked the great debate: shaken versus stirred, an olive or a twist.

But frankly, I am indifferent to the mixing method and even the garnish - so long as my martini is served frozen on a popsicle stick.

Long beloved as a refreshing summer treat, most adults wrongly dismiss ice pops as "kid stuff."

But these frozen treats can be made from almost any liquid you choose, including the most grown-up liquid of all - liquor.

It is commonly assumed you cannot make popsicles using alcohol because it freezes at a far lower temperature than water - 30 degrees below zero for 84 proof liquor, for example. This is much colder than the typical home freezer will reach.

However, you can still make pops with alcohol so long as you use a relatively small amount of alcohol and mix it with other ingredients. Those other ingredients will freeze solid, and the alcohol will be suspended within the other molecules.

The low alcohol content means you can indulge in a three-martini-popsicle-lunch and still not require aspirin or soft lighting. But if you want to boost the liquor content, you can soak pieces of fruit (particularly fruits with low juice content, such as apples and pears) or cookies or cake in alcohol for 10 minutes before using them in pop recipes.

You can also get creative with mix-ins, using herbs or fruit zests, as well as toppings - such as dipping margarita pops in coarse salt.

In her new book Pops! (Quirk Books), Krystina Castella updates the humble ice pop with unusual flavors - such as sour plum and masala chai tea - in addition to devoting a section to cocktail-inspired pops ranging from piña coladas to mai tais to mimosas.

My favorite is her take on the traditional Cuban mojito - using fresh lime juice, club soda, mint leaves, sugar and rum. The Mojito Pops, like all her pops, take only 15 minutes of juicing, measuring and mixing before you leave them overnight in the freezer.

With their refreshing minty flavor, these pops would be a huge hit at a pool party or barbecue or on a lazy summer afternoon. (My only tweak would be to omit her suggested frozen peeled lemon and lime wedges, which look fantastic when suspended in the pop, but are awkward when they dislodge in chunks mid-lick.)

The epitome of girly drinks, the Cosmopolitan, lends its sweet-tart taste and signature bright-pink hue to its popsicle counterpart. The pop gets its strong tangy flavor from a cranberry and lime juice combo, and a kick from triple sec and cointreau.

For a glamorous presentation, Castella freezes them in a funnel shape and uses a plastic flamingo cocktail stirrer for a stick. My less-inspired versions in Dixie cups with wooden sticks were admittedly less camera-ready, but achieved the same tasty result.

The classic summer cocktail - the margarita - is already popular as a frozen drink, so it's not a huge leap to envision it in popsicle form. Castella uses fresh limes and lemons, triple sec, and a mere two tablespoons of tequila, and, after freezing, she dips them in a plate of rock salt for the full margarita effect.

You can serve them in a big tub of ice or even on a platter alongside chips and guacamole before a Mexican-themed dinner. Guests will enjoy the playful surprise and harried hosts will appreciate a night off from drink-making duty.

Perhaps most impressive is Castella's clever riff on a martini. For her Sweet Martini Pops, she soaks olives in gin and sweet vermouth and mixes them with a simple syrup so each pop has a bright green olive half at the end of a stick. She craftily uses ice cube trays as mini ice-pop molds, which is the right size for this potent pop. You can use standard plastic ice trays, trays in fun shapes, or silicone rubber versions for easy removal, which is important for a sticky treat that must be consumed quickly.

For that is one thing Bond never had to contend with - a melting martini.

Always use the freshest ingredients.

Clear just enough space in the freezer.

Pour ingredients into molds from spouted containers.

Prepare ahead and allow plenty of freezing time.

Keep the pops in the molds as long as possible.

If pops are not in molds, cover them with plastic wrap or baggies.

Substitute ingredients to create your own pops.

- From Pops! (Quirk Books, 2008)

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Makes 24 2-ounce ice-cube-tray pops or eight 6-ounce pops

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1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice

2 1/2 cups club soda

1 cup water

1/3 cup fresh mint leaves

1 lemon, peeled and cut into wedges (optional)

3 limes, peeled and cut into wedges (optional)

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 tablespoons light rum

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1. Pour the lime juice, club soda, and 1 cup of water into a pitcher and let sit for 5 minutes.

2. Add the mint, lemon and lime wedges (if using), sugar and rum to the pitcher.

3. Pour into pop molds, distributing the mint and fruits evenly among the molds.

4. Insert sticks. Freeze for at least 12 hours.

5. Remove from the freezer; let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before removing the pops from the molds. Kick back and enjoy.

Makes 24 2-ounce ice-cube-tray pops or eight 6-ounce popsEndTextStartText

6 or 8 slices peeled lime

2 1/2 cups cranberry juice

5 tablespoons triple sec

1 cup fresh lime juice

5 tablespoons cointreau

1/4 cup vodka

1 1/2 cups crushed ice

Lime slices for garnish

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1. Put a lime slice in each pop mold (omit if you are making ice-cube-tray pops).

2. Combine all of the ingredients except the lime garnish in a pitcher.

3. Pour into pop molds, insert sticks, and freeze for at least 12 hours.

4. Remove from the freezer. Place a lime slice on each stick. Let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before removing the pops from the mold.

Makes 24 2-ounce ice-cube-tray pops or eight 6-ounce pops

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1 lime, peeled and cut into thin slices

1/2 lemon, peeled, seeded, and cut into thin slices

1 1/2 cups fresh lime juice

1 1/2 cups fresh lemon juice

5 tablespoons triple sec

2 tablespoons tequila

1 1/2 cups ice cubes

1/4 cup light corn syrup (optional)

Salt for the pop rims (optional)

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1. In a food processor or blender, combine the lime and lemon slices and juices, triple sec, tequila and ice cubes. Process until smooth.

2. Fill the pop molds with the mixture. Insert the sticks. Freeze for at least 12 hours.

3. Remove from the freezer; let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before removing the pops from the molds.

4. Brush corn syrup on the rim of each pop. Dip the rim into salt (to taste). Serve these pops on a plate of rock salt.

Makes 24 2-ounce ice-cube-tray pops or eight 6-ounce pops

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3 to 12 olives (1/2 per pop)

5 tablespoons gin

5 tablespoons sweet vermouth

4 cups water

1/3 cup sugar

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1. In a bowl, combine the olives, gin and sweet vermouth. Let sit for 10 minutes.

2. In a saucepan, combine 4 cups of water and the sugar. Stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved. Let cool.

3. Place 1 olive half in each pop mold or on the end of each pop stick.

4. Add the gin mixture to the sugar water, pour into the pop molds, and insert the sticks. Freeze for at least 12 hours.

5. Remove from the freezer; let stand at room temperature for 5 minutes before removing the pops from the molds. Feel free to dip these in some gin for an extra kick, or serve them with a shot glass half-filled with gin for dipping.