Drink Week: Fruit Spritzers and Fruit Pops

Day 3 of Drink Week:

First, I purposely didn’t include an article yesterday and I will not be providing one today. (I’m posting interesting ‘food world’ articles that I read, spanning a large number of topics daily…except I’ve skipped a few days.)

Instead, I would like to know what you think about the FDA regulating salt, asking that companies reduce the amount of salt in their processed foods since Americans consume twice the suggested amount every day contributing to heart disease and hypertension.

Back to the drinks-so far this week I’ve posted iced coffee with coffee cubes and lemonade, limeade and various drinks you can make using the two of those (alcoholic and non-alcoholic).

Today I’m thinking fruit/melon/berry spritzers or sodas, maybe fizzies- whatever you’d like to call them. I say delicious and fresh. I don’t like waste so the puree/mashed (coulis) leftovers can be turned into fruit pops for your kids or the kid in you or the adult that likes popsicles. I cringe when someone tries to tell me that mac n’ cheese, ice pops, hot dogs and other things are for the kiddies like I’m some kind of weirdo for wanting a helping.

But I completely understand if you make the frozen fruit pop “more adult” (i.e. add a splash of liquor)…don’t give those to your kids. I’m not trying to tell you how to parent but something screams “bad parent” when you give your child alcohol. Kind of “older generation solution to crying baby” to me. (Rubbing the gums with rum or something to soothe and put the baby to sleep…like they say in the movies.) I’m done talking about drunken babies-time for the drinkies.

Martha Stewart inspired me on these spritzers. The picture alone summoned mental images of a summer day spent sitting on a patio, on a picnic blanket and running in a tall grass field with one of these drinks in hand, miraculously not spilling a drop (it’s a mental image, I can defy gravity). I had to include these in drink week.

A spritzer usually consists of a chilled white wine and/or club soda with fruit syrup. Greg and I have been enjoying this sans wine (most of the time).

If you can purée and obtain the juice of the fruit or vegetable, you can make this. Truly, I used kiwi fruit, peaches, blackberries and mangoes (separately) so anything can work. Martha suggested melons, raspberries and other berries but any seasonal fruit (even some veggies) will make something scrumptious.

Another modification could be, instead of sugar in the simple syrup, use honey. Ta-da, wonderful honey syrup!

The leftover pulp/mash/puree can be combined with plain or vanilla yogurt, coconut milk or just on its own (add some simple syrup) for fruit pops. You don’t need popsicle molds, ice cube trays or disposable cups (that you can wash and reuse) with sticks will do. My inspiration for these came from Country Living, Sunset and Gourmet.

Fruit Spritzers
Serves 8

Ingredients:
½ cup sugar
1 cup water
fresh seasonal fruit of your choice, skin/core/seeds removed, roughly chopped (8 cups watermelon, 6 cups honeydew or cantaloupe, 6 cups mango, 4 cups raspberries)-I used 8 kiwi fruit, 8 peaches, 4 cups blackberries and 4 mangoes but use anything that produces juice when strained after being mashed-the intention is to use only one of these fruits per batch, I made 4 different kinds
1 tsp lemon juice
pinch of salt
club soda or sparkling water (lots of this)
splash of white wine-optional

First, make the simple syrup with the ½ cup of sugar and 1 cup of water combined in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Stir to dissolve the sugar and remove from the heat, let cool. I make extra of this for the popsicles afterward, tripling (maybe quadrupling) the recipe. Just be sure to put at least 1 cup of simple syrup (if not 1 ½ cups) in the spritzers.

Puree the fruit, cooled syrup, lemon juice and salt in a blender/food processor and then strain through a sieve to obtain the juice. (Keep the pureed fruit for fruit pops.) Refrigerate the syrup for at least 30 minutes. To serve, fill 8 tall glasses with ice and pour about 1/3 to ½ cup of syrup into each glass. Top with sparkling water/club soda and maybe some white wine, your choice. Serve immediately.

Now for the leftover fruit puree…

Fruit Pops
Ingredients:
½ cup sugar
1 cup of water
fruit puree leftovers-I used kiwi
splash of lime juice

Simple syrup: ½ cup of sugar and 1 cup of water combined in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Stir to dissolve the sugar and remove from the heat, let cool. If you made extra from the above spritzer recipe, skip making more.

Combine the fruit, syrup and lime juice. Start with a small amount of syrup and taste for your desired amount. Place into molds, ice cube trays or disposable cups with sticks. Freeze for about 6 hours.

To remove from the mold, run under warm water for 10 to 15 seconds.

Peaches (or other fruit) and Cream Yogurt Pops
Ingredients:
½ cup sugar
1 cup of water
leftover peach (or other fruit) puree
plain or vanilla yogurt (amount depends on the amount of fruit puree-I like 1 part yogurt to 3 parts puree)
splash of lemon juice

Simple syrup: ½ cup of sugar and 1 cup of water combined in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Stir to dissolve the sugar and remove from the heat, let cool. If you made extra from the above spritzer recipe, skip making more.

Combine the puree, syrup, yogurt and lemon juice. Start with a small amount of syrup and taste for your desired amount. Place into molds, ice cube trays or disposable cups with sticks. Freeze for about 6 hours.

To remove from the mold, run under warm water for 10 to 15 seconds.

Mango (or other fruit)-Coconut Fruit Pops
Ingredients:
½ cup sugar
1 cup water
leftover mango (or other fruit) puree
6 tbsp coconut milk (for every 2/3 cup of puree)
splash of lime juice

Simple syrup: ½ cup of sugar and 1 cup of water combined in a saucepan over medium heat, bring to a simmer. Stir to dissolve the sugar and remove from the heat, let cool. If you made extra from the above spritzer recipe, skip making more.

Combine 2/3 cup of puree, 6 tbsp of coconut milk, syrup and splash of lime juice. Start with a small amount of syrup and taste for your desired amount. Place into molds, ice cube trays or disposable cups with sticks. Freeze for about 6 hours.

To remove from the mold, run under warm water for 10 to 15 seconds.