But frankly, I am indifferent to the mixing method and even the garnish - so long as my martini is served frozen on a popsicle stick.

Long beloved as a refreshing summer treat, most adults wrongly dismiss ice pops as "kid stuff."

But these frozen treats can be made from almost any liquid you choose, including the most grown-up liquid of all - liquor.

It is commonly assumed you cannot make popsicles using alcohol because it freezes at a far lower temperature than water - 30 degrees below zero for 84 proof liquor, for example. This is much colder than the typical home freezer will reach.

However, you can still make pops with alcohol so long as you use a relatively small amount of alcohol and mix it with other ingredients. Those other ingredients will freeze solid, and the alcohol will be suspended within the other molecules.

The low alcohol content means you can indulge in a three-martini-popsicle-lunch and still not require aspirin or soft lighting. But if you want to boost the liquor content, you can soak pieces of fruit (particularly fruits with low juice content, such as apples and pears) or cookies or cake in alcohol for 10 minutes before using them in pop recipes.

You can also get creative with mix-ins, using herbs or fruit zests, as well as toppings - such as dipping margarita pops in coarse salt.

In her new book Pops! (Quirk Books), Krystina Castella updates the humble ice pop with unusual flavors - such as sour plum and masala chai tea - in addition to devoting a section to cocktail-inspired pops ranging from piña coladas to mai tais to mimosas.

My favorite is her take on the traditional Cuban mojito - using fresh lime juice, club soda, mint leaves, sugar and rum. The Mojito Pops, like all her pops, take only 15 minutes of juicing, measuring and mixing before you leave them overnight in the freezer.

With their refreshing minty flavor, these pops would be a huge hit at a pool party or barbecue or on a lazy summer afternoon. (My only tweak would be to omit her suggested frozen peeled lemon and lime wedges, which look fantastic when suspended in the pop, but are awkward when they dislodge in chunks mid-lick.)

The epitome of girly drinks, the Cosmopolitan, lends its sweet-tart taste and signature bright-pink hue to its popsicle counterpart. The pop gets its strong tangy flavor from a cranberry and lime juice combo, and a kick from triple sec and cointreau.

For a glamorous presentation, Castella freezes them in a funnel shape and uses a plastic flamingo cocktail stirrer for a stick. My less-inspired versions in Dixie cups with wooden sticks were admittedly less camera-ready, but achieved the same tasty result.

The classic summer cocktail - the margarita - is already popular as a frozen drink, so it's not a huge leap to envision it in popsicle form. Castella uses fresh limes and lemons, triple sec, and a mere two tablespoons of tequila, and, after freezing, she dips them in a plate of rock salt for the full margarita effect.

You can serve them in a big tub of ice or even on a platter alongside chips and guacamole before a Mexican-themed dinner. Guests will enjoy the playful surprise and harried hosts will appreciate a night off from drink-making duty.

Perhaps most impressive is Castella's clever riff on a martini. For her Sweet Martini Pops, she soaks olives in gin and sweet vermouth and mixes them with a simple syrup so each pop has a bright green olive half at the end of a stick. She craftily uses ice cube trays as mini ice-pop molds, which is the right size for this potent pop. You can use standard plastic ice trays, trays in fun shapes, or silicone rubber versions for easy removal, which is important for a sticky treat that must be consumed quickly.

For that is one thing Bond never had to contend with - a melting martini.

To Make A Perfect Pop

Always use the freshest ingredients.

Clear just enough space in the freezer.