Red White and Blue Popsicles

These Red White and Blue Popsicles are patriotic, refreshing, and so yummy. Made with hibiscus juice, lemonade, and butterfly pea tea, they are perfect for serving on both American and Thai national holidays!

We've been enjoying so many refreshing Thai herbal drinks this summer. From the ultra-cooling chrysanthemum tea to magic color-changing butterfly pea lemonade, there's been no shortage of sweet, chilled beverages in our house.

One day this week, we happened to have bright blue butterfly pea tea as well as ruby red hibiscus juice in our fridge. Upon seeing them side by side, I realized that they would be the perfect ingredients to make Red White and Blue popsicles for the upcoming Fourth of July holiday. And although it's Fourth of July here, these popsicles can be made to celebrate to any country with a red, white, and blue flag, like Thailand for example.

Because the hibiscus juice is naturally tart and the butterfly pea tea is quite sweet, a middle layer of white-ish lemonade seemed like the perfect pairing. And indeed, all of the flavors really do go so well with each other. These naturally-colored patriotic popsicles are beautiful and refreshing, and absolutely delicious too!

Ingredients

• Dried Hibiscus Flowers: Also known as Roselle in English and Krachiap (กระเจี๊ยบ) in Thai, hibiscus flowers are used in many cuisines to make flavored drinks. When steeped in water, they release their anthocyanins and phytochemicals to produce a vibrant red color and tart fruity flavor. You can find dried hibiscus flowers at Mexican or Southeast Asian grocery stores, as well as online.
• Dried Butterfly Pea Flowers: Butterfly pea flowers are native to Southeast Asia. In Thailand, they are known as Anchan (อัญชัน). These flowers are naturally bright blue due to high concentrations of pH-sensitive anthocyanins. You can find dried butterfly pea flowers at stores catering to the Southeast Asian population, specialty tea shops, and online.
• Lemons: Freshly squeezed lemon juice is used to make the middle lemonade layer.
• Sugar: White granulated sugar is used for each of the three layers.
• Water: Both the hibiscus flowers and the butterfly pea flowers are steeped in hot water so they can release their natural colors and flavors.

Equipment

In addition to the ingredients above, you'll also need a popsicle mold. I used these silicone popsicle molds. It's important to use popsicle molds that don't have handles at the top as they would prevent you from forming layers.

Instructions

Although these popsicles call for three different naturally-colored beverages, all three drinks are quite easy to make.

1. Make Hibiscus Juice: Combine water, sugar, and dried hibiscus flowers in a small pot. Allow to simmer for 15-20 minutes, then strain the flowers out. Cool to room temperature then chill in the fridge. More detailed instructions can be found in the Hibiscus Juice recipe.
2. Make Lemonade: Make a simple syrup by combining equal amounts of sugar and water over medium heat until the sugar has dissolved. Add freshly-squeezed lemon juice and additional water. Stir and chill.
3. Make Butterfly Pea Tea: Combine water, sugar, and butterfly pea flowers in a small pot. Allow to simmer for a minute or two, then take off the heat and allow to steep for 10 minutes. Strain the flowers out, cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge. More detailed instructions can be found in the Butterfly Pea Tea recipe.
4. Determine Each Layer Quantity: Calculate how much of each beverage you'll need for each popsicle layer. You can do this by measuring how much water fits inside your popsicle mold. Take that number and divide it by three. My molds ended up needing approximately 3 Tablespoons of each beverage.
5. Layer the Popsicles: Pour the determined amount of red hibiscus juice into your popsicle molds and place in freezer. Allow to freeze until solid, approximately 2-4 hours. Then add the same amount of lemonade, as well as a popsicle stick, and return to the freezer for another 2-4 hours. Finally, add your butterfly pea tea and allow to freeze for another 2-4 hours, or until all layers are completely frozen.

Serving Suggestions

These Red White and Blue popsicles are perfect for serving on American national holidays like the Fourth of July or Memorial Day. As the Thai flag is also red, white, and blue, I can see how they'd be a hit during Thai national holidays like Songkran or Wan Chat (วันชาติ) as well.

These Red White and Blue Popsicles made from Hibiscus Juice, Lemonade, and Butterfly Pea Tea were a hit in our house. They're refreshing, delicious, and patriotic! I love that their colors are all natural, and that they're made with some of my absolute favorite Thai chilled beverages.