Crisp watermelon, a cool glass of sangria, and ice pops are just a few of my favorite foods of summer. These watermelon sangria pops take some of these favorites and combines them into a refreshing boozy treat that won’t melt into a puddle even if you take while to eat them.

Despite being made of over 90% water, watermelons have a porous spongy texture that makes them perfect for absorbing other liquids… like wine. When I was in college, we used to cut a plug out of a watermelon and then fill it with a bottle of vodka before plugging the hole to sneak booze into the dorms. This uses a similar concept except instead of vodka, the watermelon gets infused with a sweet wine before being skewered and frozen.

The best part of this recipe is that you not only get these delicious boozy frozen desserts, you also end up with a bunch of watermelon infused wine, which makes for a refreshing summer drink, garnished with some mint. Because you can’t use the whole watermelon to make the pops, I usually scrape out the red parts of the edge pieces and then juice them to give the sangria a bit more watermelon flavor and color.

I used watermelons with seeds because they make the watermelon pops more recognizable, but unless you’re practicing for the World Championship Seed Spitting Contest, seedless watermelon will work just as well.

Watermelon Sangria Pops

Make Watermelon Sangria Pops to combat the heat with a refreshing treat. (Recipe Credit: Marc Matsumoto of Fresh Tastes)

Ingredients

• 1 small round watermelon
• 2 cups white wine
• 1/4 cup sugar

Directions

1. Cut the edges off the watermelon to make a cuboid.
2. Slice the cuboid into four ice pop sized bars. Place the cut watermelon into a tray that barely holds them in one layer.
3. Whisk the white wine and sugar together in a bowl and then pour the sweetened wine over the watermelon. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

Yield: 4 popsicles