Fruity Popsicles in Moscato

Aaaaah, the lazy days of summer. What are those!? I vaguely recall, but can't remember the last time I had any. Sadly, I think it's a bygone term in the rushed, plugged-in world of today. Since lazy days are rare, I try to recognize and embrace the lazy moments instead; celebrate down-time!

I don't live extremely far from my mom, brother, and two sisters, but I do live far enough that we don't see each other often enough. One or two of the "big" holidays each year, and then once or twice beyond those, if we're lucky. Needless to say, when we do finally get together, we try to make the most of it. We don't meet up at theme parks or campgrounds, we chill out at home, sit around and talk, and maybe hit up the market so we can make and enjoy some food together. If the mood strikes, we may hang out at a nearby beach or park. We're a fairly laid-back bunch when it comes down to it.

A love of knowledge (both useful and useless) runs in the family, so we can spend hours playing trivia games or having conversations that ponder the mysteries of the world—such as the name of John Lennon's first girlfriend (Thelma Pickles), the meaning of dreams, or what your birth order says about you. Fortunately, we're not the only ones.

Middle Sister wines founder Terry Wheatley was fascinated by the middle daughter of one of her best friends, named Erin. From childhood, she was just more outrageous, more free-spirited, simply larger than life. From this inspiration, Terry created Middle Sister wines for middle sisters everywhere.  Their portfolio of  of delicious red, white and sparkling wines from California and Argentina are crafted by award-winning winemaker and middle sister Nancy Walker.

I happen to have two sisters (our poor brother), but I am the oldest. I'm sure my middle sister might take exception, but I've always considered her the drama queen (yes, it's represented). Wine snobs everywhere will probably cringe when I say this, but I can't resist a fun label. I'm always drawn in and feel like I need to try a wine with a fun label at least once. Middle Sister labels are always fun, and their new branding includes quirky and inspirational "Drops of Wisdom" from the specific personality of middle sister that represents each variety.

So, while I did pick up a bottle of Drama Queen Pinot Grigio as a nod to my own middle sister, I couldn't resist the label on the Sweet & Sassy Moscato for the family get together we had last weekend. You see, the drop of widsom on the front is...

                       "I enjoy long romantic walks to the wine fridge."

...and well, my (middle) sis just bought herself her very own wine fridge.

So, as the kids hung out together and enjoyed their time, the adults celebrated a few lazy hours of summer on the shady porch with a little wine and a lot of conversation. Oh, and popsicles (would you expect any less from me?)!

My suggestion for pulling together a quick summertime celebration, to enjoy a few lazy moments is all-fruit popsicles and a bottle of fizzy or effervescent wine, like Middle Sister Moscato, that's been chilled. If you had some time to plan, you could definitely have some homemade fruit bars waiting in the freezer, but if you don't, it's not cheating to hit the freezer section at your favorite market and buy a few boxes of them. I like grabbing a few different varieties—for variety in both color and flavor.

Add some complementary fruit, maybe some cheese and bread if you're so inclined, and you've got a fun little spread that's perfect for enjoying those lazy summer moments that are so few and far between these days.

Fruity Popsicles in Moscato (Poptails)

Kick back and enjoy a little adult time this summer with all-fruit popsicles in a glass of fizzy Moscato wine.

by Heather Schmitt-Gonzalez

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Keywords: frozen popsicles fruit wine Moscato poptails summer

Ingredients (serves 6)

• 6 all-fruit popsicles (all one flavor, or a variety)
• 1 (750 ml) bottle of Moscato, chilled (such as Middle Sister Sweet & Sassy Moscato)

Instructions

Place one popsicle in a glass, then pour 1/6th of the bottle into the glass over the popsicle. Enjoy immediately!

Notes:

I recommend using all fruit popsicles that complement the flavors in the wine.

These homemade strawberry fruit pops are a good choice, but you can also buy all-fruit bars in a variety of flavors in the freezer section of most supermarkets (Aldi carries a great selection, like the variety you see here - Pineapple, Mango, Strawberry, Coconut, Carrot Mandarin, and many more!).

I use Moscato because it's lightly fizzy and effervescent while still being affordable. You could use any sort of sparkling wine, as well.

Let us celebrate the occasion with wine and sweet words. -Plautus

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.