Popsicles are the next frontier of the artisanal trend

The popsicles popping up on restaurant menus this summer are artisanal pops handcrafted by chefs with a passion for fresh, seasonal ingredients and a desire to serve up a little nostalgia. At Nightingale 9, a Vietnamese street-food restaurant in Brooklyn, New York, the only items for dessert are popsicles. Using seasonal ingredients from local farmers markets, they handcraft frozen treats in flavors such as Thai Basil, Tamarind Lime with Coconut, Caramel Palm Sugar and Vietnamese Coffee and Condensed Milk. At The Anthem, a retro-inspired sports bar in Chicago, fresh fruit and fresh fruit juices are blended with vodka to create frozen throwback pops. Orange, raspberry, citrus or blueberry are served upside-down in a rocks glass for $5 each. Similarly, Ava Lounge, the rooftop bar at New York City’s Dream Hotel, recently began serving Dream Pops, which are house-made fruit pops served in a glass of champagne. Created by the mixologists at Liquid Lab, the pops are a mix of watermelon, peach puree, raspberry, kiwi and elderflower liqueur.