This post was made in partnership with Kerrygold Irish Cream. Recipe and ideas are my own.
When I speak with friends and readers about what they’re drinking this summer, I’ve gotten a lot of answers along the lines of simple, at home recipes, or maybe some light and refreshing Sangria when they’re out for brunch or happy hour. I don’t hear very often of dessert cocktails as there sometimes can be a stigma surrounding them. So of course I had to set out to create one that all of you can enjoy this summer.
Sweet cocktails can many times feel too heavy, like you’ve just drank a bowl of ice cream, and honestly, no one should have to endure that. What I like about this drink is that while it leans towards a dessert it most definitely is not heavy. It walks the line between being light while also having a nice richness to it. That unexpected smoky flavor also gives it depth. Sound good so far?
I’m back again with Kerrygold Irish Cream, who provide some richness with cream and a touch of chocolate to the drink. I thought that those chocolate notes would pair really well with some dried Oaxacan chiles I had in my pantry which have a sweet, smoky aroma to them. If you can’t find any Oaxacan chiles, try guajillo peppers instead. I also wanted to punch up the chocolate factor here and added in some chocolate liqueur (and if you’ve been following along with my summer recipes then here’s another recipe with chocolate liqueur for you to try!). Lastly, to round it out I added in some lime juice for balance.
The resulting drink has a smooth and rich mouthfeel with smoky undertones, creaminess from the kerrygold, and a slightly bittersweet profile. Zingy lime flavor and spice from the rum with chocolate and spice aromas. In short, not what you think of when you hear dessert cocktail. So let’s mix some up!
Kerrygold Chocolate Chile Cocktail
1-1/2 ounces aged rum
3/4 ounce Kerrygold Irish Cream
1/2 ounce Oaxacan chiles syrup (recipe follows)
1/4 ounce chocolate liqueur
1/2 ounce lime juice
In a shaker filled 2/3 with ice, combine aged rum, Kerrygold Irish Cream, Oaxacan chiles syrup, chocolate liqueur, and lime juice. Shake about 20 seconds and strain into a coupe glass.
Oaxacan Chiles Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 large or 2-3 small dried Oaxacan chiles
In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, combine sugar and water. Stir to dissolve all the sugar and then add the whole dried chiles. Bring to a boil, and then lower to a simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep 1-2 hours, covered. Strain into an airtight container and store refrigerated up to one month.
I know, I know… “classic Daiquiri” is not usually in popsicle form, but since I’ve committed to bringing all of you more boozy popsicles this summer, you’ll just have to give this to me. And since today is National Daiquiri Day I thought, why not? The “classic” flavors found in a Daiquiri: rum, lime, and sugar are so delicious in frozen form (and trust me, I know a thing or two about frozen Daiquiris. See 
I really enjoy the floral sourness of limes, and here I wanted these to be extra… well, lime-y, so I zested a whole lime and added that into the mix in addition to adding a lime wedge to each popsicle. It gives the popsicle an extra punch of flavor, which is important when you’re dealing with frozen drinks/treats. Flavors tend to dull a bit when they are very cold, so you need to compensate for that.
Now, I will say that proportion wise, this isn’t really a classic Daiquiri, as you can only add a small amount of rum to each popsicle in order to get a good freeze. Otherwise you’re looking at a slushy on a stick, which is really just a mess on your clothes. The base of these is more of a limeade with a touch of rum, but since all of the flavors are still in the realm of Daiquiri… I get get to call them Daiquiri popsicles.
And now you get to make some!
