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LN2-frozen cocktail popsicles -- the cocksicle!

Cory Doctorow at 5:18 pm Wed, Jun 20, 2012

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Karen sez, "Instructables user kazmataz has figured out how to freeze alcohol using liquid nitrogen, and made her own cocktail popsicles."

CAREFULLY pour your liquid nitrogen into the container, making sure to not hit the top of your pops. You want enough LN2 to go about halfway up your pop molds.

While that's continuing to bubble away, pour some more LN2 into your smaller container. Delicately pour a little bit on top of your popsicles. It will all evaporate away, so don't worry about consuming any - this is just to ensure things freeze evenly from all sides.

Let the whole thing sit for a few minutes, or until the popsicle sticks seem firmly in place.

**pro-tip: besides just sitting there, and watching the popsicles slowly freeze (booooooring), feel free to carefully move the container around, to keep the liquid nitrogen moving. It speeds up the freezing process a little.

Cocktail Popsicles (aka Cocksicles)

I write books. My latest is a YA science fiction novel called Homeland (it's the sequel to Little Brother). More books: Rapture of the Nerds (a novel, with Charlie Stross); With a Little Help (short stories); and The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow (novella and nonfic). I speak all over the place and I tweet and tumble, too.

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  • Mantissa128

    ALCOPOP

  • TrollyMcTrollington

    I see what you did there.

  • voiceinthedistance

    The photo posted does little to help clear up the confusion over the chosen name for this comestible.

    I’m just happy that they were not made with liquid nitrogen and real cocks.

    • http://plagmada.org Tim H

       I’m sure the headline will bring in lots of new hits for the website, immediately followed by a wave of disappointed sighs.

    • Ambiguity

       Don’t they know that you shouldn’t dick around with liquid nitrogen?

  • Remy Porter

    Oh! We should make some healthy ones, using other fruits and vegetables. Like peas! Then we could have a cocksicle full of healthy, green, peaness.

  • Antinous / Moderator

    Get drunk and remove your warts.

  • http://www.twitter.com/eselqueso eselqueso

    Because I have liquid nitrogen handy…

    • malindrome

      Googling around a bit, it looks like LN2 is WAY too expensive to blow on a pop, so to speak.  Maybe Bill Gates can afford to make cryopops at home, but I’ll stick to the old vodka-in-the-freezer trick for now.

      • SamLL

        LN2 is quite cheap and can be purchased at many welding supply stores. It’s comparable in price to milk or gasoline, if not cheaper. Buying a dewar to contain it safely is not cheap (~$300 new) but is a one-time expense.

        • malindrome

          So … how much is it?

          • kringlebertfistyebuns

            Well, if it’s comparable in price to milk or gasoline/petrol, in much of the US that would put the price between $3-4 per gallon.

    • Ultan

      I wonder if there’s a market for a home LN2 machine? Applications: super deep freeze, inert gas production for other storage, ice cream, poptails/cocksicles, semen and embryo storage  for farm and/or mad science, home frozen sections (new frontiers in prosciutto slicing?), fog machines, leidenfrost effect demonstrations, pulverizing things that normally can’t be pulverized (e.g. aluminum cans)…

      Of course some [redacted by DHS] could be produced, too, which [redacted by DHS.]

  • http://twitter.com/chrisjimson chris jimson

    Uh, yeah. . . you gotta find a better name than “cocksicle.”

    • t3kna2007

      Or just get some proper molds.

      http://boingboing.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/NewImage39.png

    • Antinous / Moderator

      Oh, let’s just get this over with.

      • Ms. Anne Thrope

        See, now that’s what we expected with that title.  As is, the picture just made me think, “botched circumcision”.

  • dolo54

    This should be a hit with the UFC/college grunt crowd. “Hey bro I just made cocksicles! You down to get your slurp on?”

    Also wouldn’t this give a really massive brain freeze?

    • Susan Carley Oliver

       Since brain freeze is caused by extended cold contact with the soft palate, I am certain there is a deep throat joke to be made here.

  • Jacob Gallagher

    When I was in college my roommate made Jacksicles (frozen Jack Daniels) after getting his hands on some LN2. His tongue was frost bitten/blistered shortly thereafter.

    • Hegelian

       Yeah, how cold are the resulting frozen confections? Pure ethanol freezes at -114C.

      • Beanolini

        Freezing point of 40%(80 proof) alcohol is about -25C. If your drink is sugary, it would probably be a bit lower.

        But fractional freezing means that you can’t freeze the whole lot until you get right down to -114C; the ice and the remaining liquid just get more and more alcoholic.

  • Calvin Jae

    This is the most disappointing boingboing post ever, speaking as a gay boy with alcohol intolerance.

  • kichigaijin

    I can’t wait to wrap my lips around one of these!

  • papiermeister

    seems like this would be something akin to licking the frozen flagpole in sub-zero weather, no? I’m not sure I’d risk my toungue-hide for a novel approach to serving my drug of choice!

  • retchdog

    so they discovered that frozen shots taste awful and went to weak drinks instead. but at that point you don’t really need LN2 (although it is fun, and does make things much faster). if you’re more patient, just dry ice in an insulated container should be adequate. even a good home freezer should be enough for champagne.

  • avocadotoe

    +1 retchdog. I’d agree that anything that can’t be frozen with a conventional freezer will probably give you cold burns – so LN2 is wasted of alcopopsicles.

    However, it’s great for instant ice cream – take any ice cream recipe (or cream, sugar and flavouring) and stir up with LN2 in a metal or plastic bowl (wood spoon and OVEN MITTS, please). 
    Short (few seconds) exposures to LN2 are harmless as there’s an insulating gas layer between skin and cold liquid. However, avoid pressurised jets and don’t let it get caught in clothing or shoes. A dewar is mainly needed for transport – over short distances a closed styrofoam box is probably sufficient.

  • austinhamman

    yeah im not sure i want to lick anything that needed LN2 to be frozen…i mean just drinking alchohol out of the freezer is…an experience…down to freezing levels im risking burning my mouth…
    —-edit—-
    some searching it seem ethanol freezes at around -114 degrees celcius…
    no thank you.

  • bloodybl

    Did anyone else get the wrong idea completely when they saw the term”Cocksicle”?

    • pKp

      I’m thinking everyone.

  • purple-stater

    While I can appreciate the science involved, if it won’t freeze in an ordinary freezer, you’re mixing it way too strong.

    • http://www.nathanhornby.com/ Nathan Hornby

      The alcohol would separate irrelevant of strength, youd just end up with frozen fruit juice and a cold shot sat on top.

  • Eric Hunt

    I think I’ve seen this in a Treasure Island Video somewhere before…..

    Oh wait, that was made of protein and sugar, not alcohol and sugar.

  • ChickieD

    I wonder if these new rapid freeze pop machines would be a cheaper alternative? I assume they get super cold; I don’t know if they get cold enough to freeze alcohol but if the alcohol concentration was not too high??

  • Chad Tatum

    poptails

  • Teller

    There a Peni Colada flavor?

  • pxlpig

    The Cocksicle is a popular Mardi Gras treat!