Unlike Westeros where winter is coming (along with a few thousand white walkers), San Antonians know summer and the perma-humidity that goes along with it are already making their presence felt. So many of us dutifully reach for a cool drink or a sweet paleta ... but why not both? Enter the rumsicle.
"Chef Luis [Colon] had asked for me to put together a popsicle that melts & infuses a cocktail for the [Big] Pig Jig. Something that not only can be batched & made ahead of time, but that'll be really refreshing all on its own," David Naylor, bar manager at Park Social, said via email.
Served up in a rocks glass, the icy treat was one of the several highlights of the aforementioned pig roast (the excellent DJ was another) in late May. The prep concluded with a pour of white rum and a splash of Topo Chico for an ice-cold number that got boozier as time went on.
The execution is relatively painless and easy enough to substitute other berries in lieu of blackberries. But don't overdo it with the alcohol. At about 20 percent of the entire recipe, the 80-proof rum will still freeze. So, go ahead and enjoy your adult paleta poolside — roasted pig optional.
Here's how we'll be keeping cool this summer:
Park Social's Rumsicle
Ingredients:
- 20 ounces fresh lime juice
- 20 ounces simple syrup
- 6 ounces 80-proof white rum
- 1 6-ounce pint blackberries, halved
- 1/2 cucumber, sliced thin (use a mandolin, if on hand)
- Mint sprigs for garnish
- Soda (Park Social uses Topo Chico)
Directions:
Lay 5-ounce paper cups on a baking sheet (waxy Dixie cups work well). Stir lime and simple syrup rum together, then pour halfway into the cups. Toss in fruit and mint, then top it with Topo, leaving a bit of room for expansion. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and puncture small holes with knifepoint. Add popsicle sticks and freeze for at least 4 hours. Straighten sticks and keep freezing overnight. Can be enjoyed as is or add an extra ounce of rum and top with more Topo to help rumsicle melt and infuse faster. Makes about 20 servings.
