To me, summer is margarita season.

My favorite classic margarita is the “Topolo,” which is served at Rick Bayless’ Topolobampo restaurant in Chicago. It is properly shaken and served in an appropriately small martini glass. I can’t stand trying to drink out of stemmed glasses that are too big for my mouth. I end up drenched in my drink instead of quenching my thirst!

I know people drink them all year long, but to me, a well-made margarita is a hot-weather cocktail. Summer also is the only time of year — I think — a frozen margarita takes the lead in the great shaken vs. frozen debate.

This summer, I decided to make my own version of the Topolo margarita and — since I love the icy coolness — freeze it in fun frozen pop molds to make a decidedly adult cocktail treat. I called it a “poptail.”

I love making these because they can be prepared up to a week in advance and are ready as soon as your guests arrive. Or as soon as you get home from work. I sometimes top the pops off with a slice of lime that freezes at the base, just for the look of it. You can embellish or not, depending on your level of craftiness.

The recipe is easily customized to suit your taste. You even can leave out the booze for the kids. Just be sure to use two different shaped molds so the pops don’t get mixed up.

This recipe makes a classic strong margarita. If you want the “poptails” to be low-test instead of high-test, reduce the alcohol by half or double the other ingredients. If you want to make these pops without the alcohol at all, add the juice of one extra orange and an extra 1/4 cup of filtered water. Pour into molds and freeze per the manufacturer’s instructions.

Because of the alcohol in these pops, they are a bit slower to freeze than traditional recipes. It’s best to make them the day before.[0x0b]

MARGARITA FROZEN POPS

Start to finish: 5 minutes, plus overnight freezing. Servings: About 8 (depending on the size of your molds)

1/2 cup fresh lime juice, about 5 to 6 large limes

Juice of 1 large orange (about 1/2 cup)

1/4 cup filtered water

Pinch of fine-grain sea salt

3/4 cup tequila

1/4 cup triple sec

2 to 4 tablespoons powdered sugar (to taste)

In a pitcher, combine the lime juice, orange juice, water, salt, tequila and triple sec. Stir well. Add the powdered sugar 1 tablespoon at a time and stir well between additions. Taste to determine your desired sweetness, then continue stirring until the sugar is completely dissolved.

Fill the pop molds, stopping about 1/2 inch from the top. The liquid will expand to fill the sleeve as it freezes. Put the popsicle handles in place and freeze overnight.

Nutrition information per serving (assuming 8 pops): 90 calories; 0 calories from fat; 0 g fat (0 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 0 mg cholesterol; 8 g carbohydrate; 0 g protein; 0 g fiber; 20 mg sodium.