Make The Overall Company’s Boozy Sangria Popsicles [Recipe]

A few years ago during a visit to the South, I found myself in downtown Opelika, Alabama in search of something that is truly lacking in New York: excellent pimento cheese on a biscuit. Across the country, Southern food, drink and fashion is the current trend and that buzz has helped spur an amazing revitalization in small towns all across the south. Many people who would have left these towns for larger cities are instead choosing to set up shop in once abandoned historic districts, and they are creating incredible restaurants, breweries, distilleries and bars.

In search of that elusive pimento cheese, I was directed to The Overall Company. Built in what was once an actual overall factory, the place is hard to describe; part coffee shop, part wine and craft beer bar, and part art gallery, it’s a place that could just as easily exist as one of the faux-Southern restaurants that have popped up in places like Brooklyn, Philadelphia and Chicago, except this place is the real deal. And so is the pimento cheese.

Walking in there’s an immediate warmth one feels – you can tell care has gone into not only every detail of the physical space, but also into the food, coffee and drink selections on the menu. It’s because of this that I have continued to return to The Overall Company any time I find myself anywhere near Opelika.

If it wasn’t enough that they make killer pimento cheese, they also create incredibly inventive, delicious popsicles, and some of them even include booze. There’s a whole section of the store devoted to their pops, which have gained somewhat of a cult following, and they’re now beginning to be distributed to other stores across the South. On a recent trip back, I asked Laura Pritchard, one of the owners, if they would be willing to share a recipe or two. She graciously agreed.

Nothing seems more perfect for a summer beach weekend than a cooler full of Sangria popsicles. These sinfully delicious pops are not only refreshing, but also include just enough wine to bring a bit more joy to the day. They’re also incredibly easy to make.

But if even the thought of making simple pops isn’t your thing, don’t worry, The Overall Company also ships their pops nationwide. Now I wish they’d just start shipping that pimento cheese!

Sangria Popsicles

Ingredients:
4 Quarts Strawberries
3 Cups Sugar
1/2 Bottle Riesling
10 Ounces Orange Juice
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
3 Cups Water

Instructions:
Hull the strawberries. Once hulled, place the strawberries in a food processor and puree until smooth. Add all other ingredients and pulse a few times to blend. Pour mixture into the molds of your choice and freeze until hard. This recipe should roughly make 16 3-ounce pops.