Transform An Espresso Martini Into A Refreshing Ice Pop With Just 4 Ingredients

The trendy espresso martini cocktail offers the perfect balance of booze and caffeine, which certainly helps when you need a boost to get you going for an evening party. For an even more refreshing take on the popular drink, use the four core ingredients to make an espresso martini ice pop. It requires a little prep work ahead of time, but the result is a boozy, caffeinated, and refreshingly cool adult popsicle you'll love during the warmer months — or anytime of year, really.

You'll need coffee, vanilla vodka, Kahlua, and simple syrup, although there are some slight variations you can make in a pinch. For example, regular vodka is a fine replacement if you don't like your drinks (or popsicles) to be too sweet, and you can swap Kahlua for whichever espresso liqueur you have on hand. The only other essential component is a popsicle mold. Use one that comes with reusable sticks or find some of those wooden popsicle sticks most of us had for crafts during childhood. If you don't already have a mold, one hot tip for making popsicles at home is to use a loaf pan to freeze the espresso martini mixture part way. Insert the sticks and let it freeze fully, then cut it into popsicles. Alternatively, use your collection of shot glasses or even paper cups with popsicle sticks for a similar effect.

When you grab the four main ingredients, combine 7 ounces of coffee, 1 ounce each of vodka and Kahlua (or another coffee liqueur), and 4 ounces of simple syrup to make four popsicles. You can easily double the amounts for more popsicles, cut back on the simple syrup to reduce the sweetness, or increase the coffee for stronger flavor. Combine all of the ingredients and pour evenly into the popsicle molds, then place them in the freezer. Since these espresso martini popsicles contain hard alcohol, it will take several hours or even overnight for them to set; plan accordingly so the treats have sufficient time to fully freeze. For that same reason, be careful not to over-pour the vodka because it will make it harder for the popsicles to freeze.

For the coffee, use leftover coffee from this morning, brew fresh espresso for bolder flavor, or make it easy on yourself and use store-bought iced coffee. You can also add chunks of dark chocolate into the mixture for a touch of sweetness in each bite, or drizzle milk or white chocolate on top of each popsicle. And you're probably used to your classic espresso martini having a garnish of espresso beans, so you can always toss a few into the popsicle mixture for unexpected bitter bites to temper the sweetness of the boozy treat.