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Last summer, we extolled the fun of Rainbow Sangria, with a rainbow of fruit ice cubes.
Today, it’s Schnapsicles: ice pops with wine and schnaps (see below).
If you’re in the D.C. area, you can head to Stable D.C.’s Swiss-American restaurant for some Schnapsicles.
Executive Chef David Fritsche adds fun to his menu with ice pops that bring out the kid in us all—except that these are specifically for adults.
He combines fruit purée, wine and schnaps in a selection of vibrant flavors. You can have:
The Original (photo #1)
A Schnapsicle Spritz (photo #2): a Schnapsicle in a glass of sparkling rosé.
Chef Fritsche uses disposable ice pop bags, but you can use ice pop molds or whatever you have.
Schnapsicles are available for a limited time only, but you can make a version at home anytime.
Use a conventional ice pop mold, or ice sticks like these, made with Frozip Ice Pop Bags.
HOW TO MAKE SCHNAPSICLES
1. PURÉE your fruit(s) of choice. Combine with a matching schnaps and red or white wine (including sweet/dessert wine), depending on the color of the fruit.
2. TEST-BLEND the pureé plus one tablespoon each of wine and schnaps per pop mold or bag.
Based on the proof of the spirit and the volume of the pop mold, at a certain percentage of alcohol, the pop won’t freeze. If you experiment in a Frozip or ice pop mold, you’ll at least have a slush!
Wine is about 12% to 14% alcohol by volume or A.B.V. (depending on grape variety, heat of season, etc.). Liqueurs range from about 15% to 30% alcohol by volume.
You double the A.B.V. to get the proof. The lower the proof, the better the Schnapsicle freezes.
3. COMPLETE the batch with your favorite proportions.
CORDIAL, EAU DE VIE, LIQUEUR, SCHNAPS & BRANDY:
THE DIFFERENCE
Brandy is a liquor produced by distilling wine. It generally contains 35–60% A.B.V. (70% to 120% proof). In the U.S., is typically consumed as an after-dinner digestif, although there are also cocktails made with brandy,
Schnaps/schnapps, a generic German word for liquor or any alcoholic beverage, is more specific in English, where it refers to clear brandies distilled from fermented fruits (as opposed to wine, with brandy). The English added a second “p,” spelling the word as schnapps.
True schnaps has no sugar added, but products sold in the U.S. as schnapps may indeed be sweetened.
As one expert commented, “German Schnaps is to American schnapps as German beer is to American Budweiser.”
Eau de vie is the French term for Schnaps. American-made brands labeled eau de vie (“water of life”) are often heavily sweetened, and have added glycerine for thickening.
Liqueur is an already distilled alcohol made from grain which has already been fermented, into which fruits are steeped. It is sweeter and more syrupy than a European eau de vie or schnapps.
Cordial, in the U.S., almost always refers to a syrupy, sweet alcoholic beverage, a synonym for liqueur.
In the U.K., it refers to a non-alcoholic, sweet, syrupy drink or the syrup used to make such a drink. Rose’s Lime Cordial, a British brand, is called Rose’s Lime Juice in the U.S. so Americans don’t think it’s alcoholic.
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[1] Schnapsicles: frozen fruit ice with wine and schnaps.
[2] A Schnapsicle Spritz, with a glass of sparkling rosé and a raspberry garnish (photos #1 and #2 © Stable D.C.).
[3] Grand Marnier is one of our favorite schnapsicles (photo © Grand Marnier).
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