Popular Alcoholic Popsicles Ranked Worst To Best

Nearly 2 billion popsicles are sold each year, according to Country Living. That's because there's a popsicle for everyone! Whether you prefer chocolate, fruit, or cartoon characters, the array of popsicles on the market is almost unending. And for the 21 and up crowd, there's a popsicle that can make an otherwise joyous event even better. Imagine sitting by the pool on a hot July day, and taking a lick of a fruit and vodka filled popsicle. Or perhaps sitting at the beach with family and grabbing a margarita-esque pop. It sounds like a whimsical way to cool down. And even it's cool where you live, you can always keep them in your freezer and save them for a hot day.

Today, boozy popsicles are all the rage, with larger brands along with more mom and pop operations getting in on the party. So that you don't have to sort through them all, we rounded up some of the most popular alcoholic popsicles and ranked them worst to best. 

Blueberry, cherry and watermelon seem like three flavors that would work well enough with vodka. And that's what Veil has included in their box of Veil's Flavored Spirit Pops. Veil, an American distilled vodka brand, prides themselves on being charcoal-filtered, for a smooth refreshing taste. Assuming they use their vodka in the ice pops, it's arguable whether or not they actually have a smooth taste. 

Each box of Veil's Flavored Spirit Pops includes 4 pops of blueberry, cherry and watermelon to offer you a little variety. These are ice pops more than they are popsicles, so be prepared to snip off the ends and squeeze the popsicle out as you eat it. One popsicle is 8% alcohol.

One Total Wine reviewer wrote, "If you like strong, cheap vodka, this is for you." So maybe that's where your preferences lean, and if so, you'd likely love these ice pops. The great thing about ice pops is they travel well, so if you're headed on a group trip with some vodka lovers, you can at least bring along a few for them.

As producers of well-known cocktail mixers and frozen cocktails, Daily's knows a thing or two about serving up delicious alcoholic treats. But somewhere along the way, they missed the mark on their Poptails alcohol-infused popsicles. 

These adult popsicles come in strawberry, green apple and watermelon flavors and are only 90 calories a pop, which is good to know for those who are counting calories or just watching their intake. Also, they're only 6.8% alcohol,, so that means you can lounge in the blazing sun and not worry about getting too much of a buzz from these. These are all good things but where Daily's Poptails falls flat is the flavor. 

They don't have the freshest or most authentic flavor and instead taste like manfactured watermelon, apple and strawberry. One more downside is that the only alcoholic information on the box says "wine product," so you'll need to do some digging if you need to know the ingredients because of an allergy.

Largo Bay, just so happens to be one of Total Wine's Spirits Direct items, which simply put, means it's a private-label brand made only for Total Wine and you can't find this product anywhere else. Nonetheless, it's an exciting option in the alcoholic popsicle sphere, with their three flavors — Mojito, Pina Colada, and Strawberry Daiquiri. These are also only 100 calories, 8% ABV and made with rum, so you get a unique (and maybe even richer) popsicle experience. Interestingly enough, these Largo Bay pops are made with natural flavors along with certified colors, which is just a fancy way to say "artificial coloring," according to the FDA's website.

If you were to bite into one of these Largo Bay pops, here's what you could expect — the fruit flavor is pretty good, but you can hardly taste it because it's overpowered by the strong taste of alcohol. Several Total Wine reviewers pointed this out, with one saying, "Overall there were really bad. The rum was horrible and overwhelmed the taste. If these used a good quality rum they would have been quite tasty."

As one of the few popsicles in this lineup to use transparent packaging, we have to say, it makes Sliq stand out from the crowd. Something about the clear popsicle package gives a nod back to the ice pops that nearly every kid snacked on in their childhood. These are a little snazzier and cleaner than some other brands, with a more curated aesthetic. 

These pops are 100 calories per serving and 8% ABV and they actually come in a variety of alcohols and flavors. The vodka option flavors include Lemonade, Blue Raspberry, and Cranberry & Grapefruit. The rum comes in Coconut & Lime Daiquiri, Pineapple Daiquiri, and Strawberry Daiquiri flavors. And if you choose the agave spirit, there are Pineapple Daiquiri, Strawberry Margarita, and Classic Margarita popsicles. It's thoughtful that they paired the flavors with their traditional spirit. 

Once you bring these home, they make take up to two days to freeze. That's not too bad with a little advance planning, but some customers could not get over the flavor. "The awful taste of artificial sweetener (possibly Stevia), came through and I literally gagged," said one Influenster reviewer.

Punch Pops Specialty Ice Pops come wrapped up in bright packaging with a bold font. Suffice it to say, they're Instagram friendly and would look great in a selfie. And with flavors like Lemon Ice, Pineapple Coconut, and Raspberry, they sound pretty delicious. One downside is that the pops are sold as 12-packs with one flavor per pack, so you'll have to buy 36 ice pops to try the entire assortment. 

These pops have 7.5% ABV and have only 88 calories per pop. They're also made with real cane sugar and natural flavoring. You have to navigate to Punch Pop's "About Me" page to find out that the alcohol they use is called Other Than Standard Orange.

But what really deducts some points off of these pops is that some flavors are bitter. According to one Facebook reviewer, "while refreshing, the taste leaves a bad flavor in your mouth."

Claffey's is a seltzer cocktail brand that decided to venture into popsicle territory with their frozen cocktail pops. Their pops are wine-based and clock in at 6% ABV and 90 calories per pop. Claffey's offers customers a bit of variety in their box, which is two flavors each and a total of 12 pops. The flavors — Grape, Blue Raspberry, Apple, Lemonade, Cherry, and Pink Lemonade — sound exciting enough.

According to the Claffey's Cocktails website, founder Chris Claffey created the world's first "Adult Freezer Pop" in 2014, so we have to give them some props for that. As a boutique business operating on the level of national corporations, Claffey's has crafted a noteworthy popsicle with plenty of amazing flavors. 

Several Sam's Club reviewers said they consumed more than one popsicle in one sitting, which seems to point to the popsicles being smaller than they should be. If Claffey's would consider releasing them in a larger format, they might be on to something.

Slim Chillers is another brand of ice pops that are made in flavors based on well-known drinks. The brand was founded on the premise that delicious, lower-calorie adult ice pops are in fact possible. They actually have a few different lines of adult ice pops — their Wine Freezers that are modeled after wine cocktails like Peach Mango Bellini; Vodka Skinny Freezers that are made with distilled vodka in flavors like Appletini; and the Skinny Threezers, which are rum-based ice pops that come in flavors like Strawberry Colada Rum.

To keep these under 100 calories per pop, the brand does use sucralose, which is a man-made, no-calorie sweetener, according to Food Insight. These sound pretty enticing but a few Facebook reviewers were upset over the fact that the popsicle has less-than-perfect freezing capabilities. One reviewer said, "Such a disappointment. Only a few actually froze, even after 3 days in the freezer." Does that mean it won't freeze for you? Of course not, but at least you can know what you're getting into. 

You couldn't expect Natural Light to stay out of the frozen popsicle game. The beer company already has a reputation for making beers that are, well, light, and with the release of their Natural Light Naturdays light, tropical flavored lager, it was only right they turn these summer flavors into a frozen popsicle.

The pops are made in the same flavors as the Naturdays drink, so there's Strawberry Lemonade and Pineapple Lemonade. The pops are sold by the box and one box of 12 includes six of each flavor. Not only does the packaging scream summer — pink and yellow — but the flavors completely bring up thoughts of lazy days at the beach.

If you liked Natural Light Naturdays, the flavors are the same, but that's where the comparison ends. These Naturdays pops are actually a malt beverage and are 8% alcohol so they're twice as strong as a can. We do wish there were more flavors than just the two, but maybe that's something that will be released! One YouTube commenter described the pops as too "expensive." Although they're currently out of stock at BevMo, the 12-pack was retailing for $9.99.

Buzz Pop Cocktails are one of the few boozy popsicles that have push functionality like the Flintstones Push-Up Pops that were a hit in the 90s. But unlike the childhood favorites, these have been spruced up with alcohol and clock in at 15% ABV, via Thrillist. Buzz Pop Cocktails have an interesting lineup of flavors — Chocolate Raspberry, Moscow Mule, Caribbean Breeze, Mango Passionfruit, Blueberry Mania, and Southern Belle. Southern Belle is a blend of sweet tea, peaches, bourbon, and lemon, so they are definitely delivering more than your run-of-the-mill fruit flavors. 

We also like that you can build your own variety pack on the Buzz Pop Cocktails website. So if there's a combination of flavors you prefer, you can add as many popsicles as you want (up to 12 in one box).

They also describe themselves as an all-natural alcoholic popsicle that's fat-free, gluten-free, vegan, eco-friendly and 100 calories (for most flavors). The flavors of alcohol and fruit are balanced in these pops and there seem to be many happy customers. Says one Facebook reviewer, "Delicious. Laid back. Great vibe. Tasty. And a nice little buzz on the back end."

Cutwater is a distillery in San Diego that seems to dabble in the production of nearly every alcohol. They've got whiskey, gin, vodka, rum, tequila, mixers, and canned cocktails. So really, is it any surprise that they also released a line of cocktail pops inspired by the flavors of their canned cocktails? With flavors like Lime Margarita, Rum & Cola, Vodka Mule, and Gin Melon, we like that each variety pack contains popsicles with various bases. It's a great option for picky partygoers or even just a group with lots of different preferences. 

They also have a margarita pack, which is four different flavors for all the margarita nuts out there — Mango Margarita, Pineapple Margarita, Strawberry Margarita, and Lime Margarita. Those are, of course, made with tequila. We love that these use Cutwater's very own liquor and also contain no artificial sweeteners, but how do they taste?

The staff at Pacific San Diego gave these a try and overall gave them favorable reviews. Some flavors are hit or miss but when they're good, they're really good! On the other hand, one reviewer noted "This one is very spirit-forward and felt more like a frozen vodka shot than a refreshing summer treat," they said.

Fruta Pop is a small company devoted solely to the production of alcoholic ice pops. They got their start in 2017 and since then have branched off into the wholesale business and events. They can also brand popsicles with your company or personal logo for your next summertime event. There isn't a lot of ingredient information available on the Fruta Pops website, which is actually rather odd for a small business, as they often like to rely on transparency to reach more customers. They do however, proclaim on their Instagram page that their pops contain no added sugars or dyes and are 5% ABV. They've also got mocktail pops, which is a cute concept for those who choose to abstain from alcohol but still want to get in on the alcoholic popsicle fun.

According to My Life on and Of The Guest List, aside from being delicious, there's one more Fruta Pop's takeaway: "If you've noticed all ice pops packaged in plastic pouches currently available in the market contain high fructose corn syrups, added sugars, and dyes., Fruta Pop does not."

Seltzer turned popsicle is a formula we've seen before, at least in the boozy popsicle realm. And Bud Light decided to try their hand at them with their Bud Light Seltzer Frozen Icicles. The package is tie-dye and loaded with lots of colors, so it's certainly appealing to those looking for something fun to add to their summer line-up. The flavors are Cherry Limeade, Blue Raspberry, and Summer Ice, which is a vague, but intriguing, flavor. According to the Pop Sugar team, the Summer Ice flavor was "a wild card" with hints of "lemon and blueberry."

These are tasty — really tasty — and they're reminiscent of a canned seltzer in the form of a popsicle, although they have a flavor all their own. They come in a 12-pack, so you can freeze them in advance and take them to the park to share with friends. 

Sun Pop is a brand of adult beverages that sits under The Wine Group. You may know them from a few of their other products like Cupcake Wine and Franzia boxed wine. Sun Pop specializes in semi-sweet wines that are colorfully wrapped and jazzed up with natural flavors. Considering the brand's background of summer-friendly products, it's no wonder they ventured into alcoholic popsicle territory.

Several Target customers complained of the freeze time, with one reviewer saying, "I left the bags in the freezer for 2 days and they never froze. One of the bags only semi-froze after leaking and pooling into the bottom of the bag."

One 12-count variety pack of Sun Pops will grant you access to three flavors of these popsicles, which are Peach, Tropical, and Strawberry. These are 6% ABV, which will have the same effect as sipping on a wine cooler — in a much-cooler package.

Truly Hard Seltzer refused to be left out of the alcoholic popsicle craze. They created their Truly Hard Seltzer freeze pops in three lemonade flavors — Mango Lemonade, Strawberry Lemonade, and Original Lemonade. 

These don't taste at all like hard seltzer, which can be either a good or bad thing, depending on where your preferences lie. By releasing only three flavors, Truly seems committed to getting the flavors of each one just right, because not only do they tase eerily similar to lemonade, but the flavors are juicy and downright delicious. The alcohol in these is classified as a malt beverage, but according to Bev Source, that's a common categorization for seltzers even if they derive from a fermented sugar base. 

We love that they're only 5% ABV because over the course of an afternoon, you can try one of each flavor without getting too much of a buzz. These are refreshing, tasty and an absolute blast to eat at the park on a hot summer's day.