Treat your kids and yourself to some refreshing, non-alcoholic Sangria, Mojito and Piña Colada Popsicles, perfect to cool down in this hot summer.
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I am back home, can you tell?
I complained for weeks about the cold weather, and now I am home complaining about the heat and humidity. So I turned to our beloved paletas to combat the heat, this time inspired by famous drinks from 3 of my favorite countries. Wouldn’t you love some sangria, mojito and piña colada popsicles in this weather? And speaking about countries…
Some time ago I wrote about how provincialism is one of my least favorite traits in people. We all suffer from it to different extents. And the cure to provincialism is nothing else than an open mind and travel. Traveling introduces you to other peoples and cultures.
A traveler is not a tourist, a traveler makes an effort to experience life as the natives live it, to learn about their culture, their society. A traveler wants to experience the local food, a traveler goes to shops and markets to see what they buy, what they eat. A traveler is interested in how people live, where they live. A traveler watches some local TV, listens to the radio, leaves through the newspapers, even if he/she does not understand the language.
Most importantly, a traveler uses these experiences to reflect on his own culture and country. Once you do this you learn to appreciate more some aspects of your own culture, and you learn that sometimes some of these aspects are not exactly optimal. “We’ve always done it this way” is a terrible excuse for doing things. We must always question, always seek to learn from others.
Traveling makes me both more critical and more appreciative of my home country.
And here I am, back, dreading the heat and humidity, but home. Because no matter how far I go, I always come back home with a smile.
Sangria, Mojito and Piña Colada Popsicles Recipe
Ingredients
Sangría paletas
- 3 cups of grape juice
- 1/3 cup of diced fruit (I used apple, grapes and strawberries)
- 2 tablespoons of lime juice
Mojito paletas
- Juice of 3 limes
- 6 mint leaves
- 3 cups of water
- 6 tablespoons of sugar
Piña colada paletas
- 1/2 cup of diced pineapple
- 3 cups of coconut milk
- 6 tablespoons of sugar
Instructions
Sangría paletas
- Mix ingredients, pour into molds, place stick and freeze.
Mojito paletas
- Mix lime juice, mint leaves and water.
- Crush leaves a little bit and add sugar to taste.
- Pour into molds, place stick and freeze.
Piña colada paletas
- Blend pineapple and coconut milk. Sieve to remove solids.
- Add sugar to taste.
- Pour into molds, place stick and freeze.
Cocktail popsicles…I love it. Going to try something similar for a rum/peach soda cocktail I accidentally discovered last week.
Those Pina Colada ones would be my favourite. That’s an interesting analysis of the difference between travellers and tourists and I agree about provincialism being a pain to deal with.