Originally Posted by
Abby
So, the goal is to increase the alcohol content in the popsicles to the point where they will still freeze (or near-freeze) within the temperature range of the normal home freezer, but no more.
I'm far too lazy to try and calculate it by formula (especially after the generous portions of wine my friend served at her place last night), so I might just try and play with the proportions and leave the rest to my freezer.
But if anyone is interested in trying to provide an answer that suggests the correct proportions to use, I'd be grateful. And impressed.
It's pretty easy: Wine, which is 10-14% alcohol, will freeze.
Vodka and other 'hard' liquors are usually 80 proof = 40% alcohol and they don't freeze.
Liqueurs, which are usually 40-proof = 20% alcohol, usually don't freeze. Sugar does make it more difficult to freeze, so that may be part of the reason liqueurs don't freeze. I'm not sure if 20% alcohol (think equal parts vodka and water) would freeze - that would be a good experiment.
In any case, I assume you will have sugar in your popsicles, so better to get them down into the 'wine' range. So to get 40% alcohol like vodka or tequila to freeze, estimate you need to get it down below 15% alcohol.
.
I would guess any dilution more than 2 ounces of water/juice per 1 ounce of hard liquor (=13% ABV) would be a decent place to start experimenting.
If I were planning for a party and didn't have time to experiment, I think you would be safe at 3:1 (= 10% ABV), even if your mixture is relatively sweet.