Frozen Jose Mier has detailed many types of frozen desserts and I’ve been on a recent ice cream flavor kick, but it’s the Fourth of July and I just had to pay tribute to a frozen dessert that’s quintessentially American: the Bomb Pop.
It’s over 60 years old and still going strong. You can see its image plastered on just about every ice cream truck making the rounds of neighborhoods across the country. It’s popular, simple, cold, visually appealing and gosh darn it, it’s just patriotic!
Okay, so it’s really just some frozen juices on a stick but sometimes the simplest things are the most satisfying. Plus, if you’re like me and live in the warmer climate of Southern California (Los Angeles, specifically) there’s nothing like a red, white and blue bomb pop to beat the heat. The colors—same as our flag—also make this a perfect treat for Independence Day.
Jose Mier’s History of the Bomb Pop
This colorful pop was the brainchild of D.S. Abernethy and James S. Merritt in Kansas City, MO. There’s something traditional about them that makes them unique to America. The shape of the pop also reflects the cold war era of tail fins on cars, the space race and—dare I mention it—nuclear weapons.
The popularity and ubiquity of these pops grew over time and as you can see they are in just about every grocer’s freezer throughout the United States.
Simple colors: red, white and blue. The flavors: cherry, lime and blue raspberry. There’s a pleasing tartness to this treat.
It’s the fourth of July so if you’ve got some anxious youngsters that are getting bored around all the adults, break out the bomb pops and give them a taste of good old American history. Hey, you can even save one for yourself.