Pride of the Freezer: JonnyPops Organic Rainbow Fruit Stacks (Ep 70)

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It's Pride Month and the Bros are reviewing JonnyPops Organic Rainbow Fruit Stacks while Darren sips The Pride & Joy—a bourbon Old Fashioned made with a melting rainbow popsicle instead of ice and simple syrup.

The story: In 2012, college freshman Erik Brust and his cousin Jonathan dreamed up organic pops. Tragically, Jonathan died before launch. Erik and his college friends pooled their money, developed the recipe in their dorm room, and named the pops for Jonny. They also suggest a kind deed printed on every stick.

But here's the kicker: JonnyPops makes pops in pride and trans flag colors, but they stay totally quiet about supporting LGBTQ+ rights. Darren calls them out: if you're going to market pride and trans flag popsicles, commit to the message and say it out loud!

Plus: Frozen deodorant. Grilled PB&J. Sugar Factory launches rainbow sliders. Max’s earlobes. Max’s earlobes? The Bros collect popsicle sticks for rewards—only 984 more to score a JonnyPops freezer! Episode 70 celebrates the first NYC Pride Parade in 1970.

In the closing game, Taste the Rainbow, the Bros plan meals using only color-named foods and brands. Colorful chaos ensues.

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FROST BITES

Cold Spice. Max has something secret in his freezer—Old Spice Pure Sport gel deodorant. On hot, humid mornings, applying cold deodorant feels like an elite-tier wake-up call. The gel doesn't freeze solid into a useless block of ice because ingredients like propylene glycol and alcohol act as a built-in antifreeze. Just don't try this with spray deodorant.

Lobe Story. Max has one attached earlobe and one free earlobe. In high school biology, earlobe attachment is taught as a simple dominant-recessive trait, but that old model lied to us. Scientists have actually identified 49 distinct genomic regions involved in earlobe attachment, proving the trait is highly complex. Having visibly different earlobes on each side of your head isn’t a genetic anomaly so much as a harmless, quirky glitch during gestation.

Friends of Dorothy. Before Stonewall made Pride visible, the phrase “friend of Dorothy” was the ultimate low-key vibe check for gay men navigating a world where being out was actively dangerous. Judy Garland’s status as a queer icon is legendary, and the timeline of her passing is one of the most tragic coincidences in LGBTQ+ history. She passed away in London on June 22, 1969, and her funeral took place in New York on June 27—just hours before the historic uprising at the Stonewall Inn in the early morning of June 28.

Marching Forward. The Stonewall Riots lasted from June 28 to July 3, 1969—led largely by trans women of color, drag queens, and homeless youth—and was a turning point in the fight for queer rights. Exactly one year later, activist Brenda Howard—rightfully dubbed the "Mother of Pride"—coordinated the first "Christopher Street Liberation Parade" to commemorate the uprising, and it became an annual tradition. In June 2000, Bill Clinton officially designated June as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. In 2009, Barack Obama widened the umbrella, renaming it Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month. We’re on a bit of a backward slide at the moment, but the fight isn’t over!

THE PRIDE & JOY

During recording, Darren took one look at that multi-colored JonnyPop and decided that standard ice cubes were canceled for the month. He wondered: what happens if you skip the simple syrup, ditch the regular ice, and use a rainbow fruit pop as the ultimate slow-release cocktail ingredient instead?

The magnificent result is The Pride & Joy—a classic bourbon Old Fashioned that undergoes a literal flavor evolution while you drink it. As the popsicle melts into the liquor, it transitions from a sharp, oaky baseline into a brilliant, fruity cocktail, with the cherry and orange layers playing incredibly well against the bourbon. It’s colorful, it’s refreshing, and it completely reinvents itself by the bottom of the glass.
    • 2 oz bourbon
    • 2-3 dashes Angostura bitters
    • 1 JonnyPops Organic Rainbow Fruit Stack
    • Serve in a rocks glass
If you aren't in a whiskey mood, you can easily pivot. This can work as a vodka tonic, gimlet, daiquiri, or even a Margarita. If you want to keep things alcohol-free, just drop a JonnyPop straight into ginger ale or Sprite for a bright, layer-changing mocktail that will be the envy of your Pride parties.

YOUR COLD CUTS

What color-named frozen foods did we miss? Have you put deodorant or some other odd product in the freezer?

But most importantly, how are you celebrating Pride and supporting the LGBTQ+ community this month?

Hit us up on the Let's Chill page and let us know!

ENJOYING THE POD?

BUY US A COLD ONE

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Fro yo' later!

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