Special flavor popsicles hot up in China

With temperatures rising and the summer upon us China is turning to the popular popsicle to quench its thirst.

Sales of the nation’s favored frozen dessert on a stick have soared in the heat and no more so than a new series of yellow wine popsicles, which have become an Internet sensation.

The popsicles are made in Shaoxing City, Zhejiang Province, one of the original production places of yellow wine, because of the clean water and top-quality grains.

There are several different flavors such as: yellow wine with glutinous rice, yellow wine with black prunes and even chocolate.

The ice lollies are not only popular in China’s shops but have a healthy business in online sales too.

The feedback in the customer reviews has been humorous in several cases. Some people say the popsicles taste good while other customers feel the wine in the popsicles is not strong enough and have asked vendors to increase the alcohol content to 5 percent.

Some netizens have even joked: "Will I become intoxicated after eating one?" Another asked: "Will police prosecute me for drunken driving after eating it?"

Others on social media have asked vendors to be more creative and introduce, beer, red wine, white wine and champagne popsicles. Yet one popsicle producer has already started being inventive with the chilli-flavor ice cream lolly. A Beijing resident, surnamed Jiang, was brave enough to try the 4 yuan brown and white ice cream lolly, and said it tasted like chocolate at first but become spicy after swallowing one bite.

Maybe the vendors are being a bit too ambitious with the chilli ice cream lolly as feedback revealed it hadn’t been as popular with consumers as other popsicles. A staff member at a convenience store near the Beixin Bridge revealed only around 10 sticks of the chilli ice cream lollies are being sold every day compared to other more popular popsicles.