Marie Corbett used to make original frozen drinks at Finn McCool’s. During the pandemic, she started to make popsicles for her kids. That blossomed into a pop-up serving original flavors, and she also came up with a line of pops to use as drink mixers. She’ll be serving her Firefly Pops at the Kids Tent at Jazz Fest for the first time this year. For more information, visit fireflypops.com or nojazzfest.com.
Gambit: How did you start making popsicles?
Marie Corbett: I was in the service industry for years. I managed bars and did cocktail menus. Before the pandemic, in 2018-2019, I was doing fresh ingredient frozen cocktails at Finn McCool’s. It was a slushie machine, but I was making the syrups and everything that went in it. Finn’s is known for frozen Irish coffee, so we had to have that. But I wanted to have another option, because I love frozen daiquiris.
A lot of them were classic cocktails with a twist, or sometimes a liquor rep would sponsor us, and I’d make something with that. I was able to get to as non-processed stuff as possible. I had a spicy pineapple drink with rum that was really delicious.
I left Finn’s during the pandemic, and I was at home with my kids. I could not make frozen drinks for my kids, so we pivoted to making things in the kitchen. By May or June (2020), we tried our hand at popsicles. It was really difficult. I was blown away by how challenging it was to get a good mouthfeel and the right consistency. I kind of went crazy. Every few days I’d have my cousin come over and taste test.
It was a lot of watermelon and peaches at first. I tried all kinds of crazy peach flavors, like a peach cobbler and a spiced peach. My kids are into trying new things.
Cafe au lait was my favorite. Getting the right amount of coffee and sugar is key. I don’t like things overly sweet, but it’s a popsicle. It needs sugar.
They’re mainly fruit. Lemon-rosemary-mint is one of my signature syrups. I do that in all kinds of forms. The Firefly pop is the original. It’s like an herbed lemonade. I do that with strawberry, and sometimes with basil and lemon and strawberry. It’s fresh fruit and a homemade simple syrup.
Gambit: How did you start Firefly Pops?
Corbett: It was about a year before I started doing pop-ups. I wasn’t sure if I was going to go back to Finn’s. By May the following year, I started the business and started popping up at art markets and trying to get them out there.
I started off with a small menu of four to six flavors. I got into doing new flavors and having a new menu every three or four weeks.
Over the last two years, I have tried to consistently do pop-ups and tried to do private events.
I love the idea of catering for events and working with a person throwing a party. I want to create a greeting drink. It’s a popsicle, it has to be the first thing that happens. I like a fresh citrusy popsicle paired with alcohol, whether it’s a glass of cava or a tequila drink. It becomes the mixer in the drink. It’s a great way to kick off an event. For events, they supply the alcohol and I supply the popsicle. They’ll have someone pouring champagne, and then someone will put the popsicle in it.
Working at Finn’s for a long time, I noted that if you made somebody a special drink, the next thing you know, people are lined up like, “What’s that? I want that.” It’s a great way to kick off a party.
People say they want boozy pops, but I don’t want to make alcoholic pops. I like it as a mixer.
One of my favorite ones was a fresh cantaloup and blueberry one with a little bit of vanilla ice cream.
I am thinking about doing a bloody mary pop for the Creole Tomato Festival. Like a tomato popsicle.
I have said yes to everything for the past two or three years. I love kids, but that’s not my main focus. I’d like to do private events. I have done a gala, a couple of weddings and a few Tales of the Cocktail events.
I was a bartender for 15 years. It’s nice to do something else. I love doing festivals.
You'll quickly get the sense that this isn’t your average steakhouse.
Gambit: What are you doing at Jazz Fest?
Corbett: The main flavors are the ones that are going to be at Jazz Fest: the lemon-rosemary-mint Firefly pop and then a nice Louisiana strawberry with citrus, and the cafe au lait pop.
Some people like spicy popsicles. For the kids, I am not going to do that. But throwing a little tajin (seasoning) on them is something some people enjoy. I will have some garnishes there that people can add.
I grew up near the Fair Grounds. I go to Jazz Fest every single year. I take my kids. It’s been a dream to be at Jazz Fest this year.
