How liquor-infused ice pops are bringing joy to the Myrtle Beach area during coronavirus
Joann Belarge was on the phone with her mother when she saw the Booze Pops truck drive through her Forestbrook neighborhood Tuesday afternoon.
Unaware that the unique-style ice cream truck sells alcohol-infused ice pops, seeing the word booze on a vehicle after weeks of isolation due to the coronavirus was enough for her to abruptly hang up on her mother, grab her wallet and run out of the house with her friend Suzanne Bailey.
“I never even knew this existed, but that’s why it was so surprising,” Belarge said. “I get this happy when the ice cream truck comes, but we think it’s a fun idea.”
Booze Pops, a veteran-owned Myrtle Beach-based franchise that sells wine pops, vodka-infused popsicles, jello shots and non-alcoholic ice cream products, had a busy day Tuesday with residents throughout Horry County requesting the truck travel to their neighborhoods to assist with their Cinco de Mayo celebrations.
Planning a festive driveway gathering with some friends, Myrtle Beach area resident Diane Charno said she reached out to Booze Pops via Facebook a week ago to schedule an appointment. As they arrived blaring the sounds of Mario Kart, she, her friends and her neighbors relished in the enjoyment of the bar coming to them with brick and mortar bars and restaurants forced to shutter two months ago.
Similar to an ice cream truck, the music plays and adults, instead of children, line up to get their favorite flavor boozy treat.
“We thought it was great,” Charno said. “It was a nice way to have a little Cinco de Mayo fun without having to share food and drinks.”
These house calls have been something Booze Pops owner Adam Evensen has adjusted to over the last two months with the COVID-19 outbreak resulting in the cancellation and postponement of several area festivals and events he was scheduled to attend this spring. After the cancellations, he said he didn’t know what to do, expecting to park his truck for good.
With no revenue coming in, Eversen decided to stock his truck with product and disinfectant and travel to different neighborhoods as a way to both make money and restore some semblance of normalcy to those stuck at home. While the reception was slow to build, he said the overwhelming community support has brought him a level of success he never imagined.
“It started off really slow in March when we started, but it’s been gaining speed to the point where we’re getting tons of messages a day and I’m trying to get to as many neighborhoods as I can,” Eversen said. “People … still want to have some fun.”
Eversen added he now works seven-days-a-week trying to fulfill all the requests he’s been getting through the Booze Pops Facebook page. He said his current situation has proven to be more successful than before when he relied solely on community events.
He said the increased demand, along with seeing the joy adults have waving him down as his truck enters a new neighborhood has been both awesome and gratifying. While he currently works with his dad, his newfound success has caused him to consider bringing on an additional staff member and possibly opening a second truck in Myrtle Beach.
“If everybody keeps asking us, we may be able to continue this type of thing in the future and going forward into the summer and still do our events at the same time,” Eversen said. “As long as the people are still liking it, we plan to continue doing this.”
If you want Booze Pops to come to your neighborhood, visit www.facebook.com/MYRTLEBEACHBOOZEPOPS.
