Growing up in Puerto Rico meant enjoying beautiful sunny days that allowed kids to play outside year-round, gorgeous azure beaches with fine white sands excellent for castle-building, colorful towns to explore with the family, and delicious treats like cold, sweet limbers!

If you are not from la islita, you might ask “What is a limber?” Simply put, it is essentially a Puerto Rican-style ice cream that has the texture of a popsicle but is served frozen in a plastic cup. 

And there is a trick to enjoying it, too! Because there is no popsicle stick inserted in the center,  it must be eaten by squeezing the cup, so the limber pops up and out. 

If you are wondering why this tasty treat is called a “limber,” you are not alone, as the word has no meaning in Spanish. In reality, the root of the word dates back to the 1920s, when Charles Lindbergh, the first pilot to fly across the Atlantic Ocean, visited Puerto Rico on February 4th, 1928. The famous pilot was greeted with frozen juice cups, and from that time locals started freezing juice and calling it “limber” (Lindberg).

Where to buy limbers

If all this talk of sweet limbers makes you long for one, here are some places in Florida where you can buy this creamy frozen treat from one of the premier makers on the island: Don Victor Ramos Arzola, alias Tito, who makes the famous “Limber Tito” from the recipe that his mother created when he was a boy. 

These stores in two Florida cities with large Boricua populations carry the treat that comes in 22 flavors including tropical favorites like guava, mango, pineapple, tamarind, and passion fruit. As supplies may change or vary, please contact the stores to make sure that the products you desire are available. 

Orlando

• Compare Supermarket, Goldenrod Rd
• Supermercado Plaza Tropical, Lancaster Rd
• Fancy Fruits & Produce, Goldenrod Rd

Kissimmee

• Bravo Supermarket, Michigan Ave
• Unidos Supermarket, Poinciana

Make your own limber!

Can’t find a store that sells limbers in your area? ¡No te preocupes! You can always make this delicious treat at home. Here are two delicious tropical flavors you can try. Make sure you have plenty of freezer space, as the cups need to remain flat while they solidify. Afterward, store them in a plastic bag to retain freshness.

Coconut and Pineapple Limber Recipe

Ingredients:

• One 13-ounce can of unsweetened coconut milk
• 2 cups pineapple juice
• 1/2 cup sweetened coconut cream
• 1/2 cup drained canned pineapple chunks
• 1/2 cup sugar (more, if needed)

Directions:

• Place six 8-ounce plastic cups on a small tray.
• Combine the coconut milk, pineapple juice, coconut cream, pineapple chunks and sugar in a blender.
• Blend until homogeneous. 
• Add more sugar to taste.
• Pour the mixture into the plastic cups, filling them to about 1/4 inch from the brim. 
• Freeze for 1 hour, then stir each one to incorporate the mixture again .
• The limbers should be slurry, preventing the mixture from separating after reincorporating. Freeze until fully frozen, at least another 7 hours.

Super-Simple Mango Limber Recipe

Ingredients:

• Mango juice or nectar. You can take the juice of a couple of ripe mangoes, or buy mango nectar at the store. 
• If you feel the juice of the mango is not sweet enough for you, you can add sugar.
• If you don’t want the mix to be too thick, add water. 

Directions:

• Pour mango juice into small plastic cups (5 oz).
• Place in the freezer, until frozen solid.
• Enjoy!