Aperol Spritz Granita Recipe

Made with Prosecco, Aperol, and membership soda, the Aperol spritz is a zesty and refreshing Italian aperitivo, with bittersweet notes of orange peel and vanilla. The cocktail’s comparatively low alcohol content material and shiny citrus notes make it a enjoyable beverage for a sizzling day, and it’s one I flip to every summer season. The one factor extra invigorating than an Aperol spritz? A frozen one. 

Very like frosé—the blended frozen drink of rosé, strawberries, and lemon juice that took the world by storm in 2016—this Aperol spritz granita is bracingly chilly and ideal for a heatwave completely happy hour. Granita, a semi-frozen dessert with a fluffy texture just like that of shaved ice, hails from the Italian island of Sicily, the place it’s historically made with fruit juice, espresso, or almond milk. Virtually any liquid, although, might be become granita—even your favourite cocktail. Not like many different frozen treats, there’s no particular gear wanted to organize granita: no ice cream maker, snow cone machine, or perhaps a blender. All you want is a fork, a shallow freezer-safe dish, and a little bit of persistence.

5 Suggestions for Making a Refreshing Granita

Season the granita base with contemporary citrus juice and sugar. Since chilly temperatures boring taste, a basic Aperol spritz wants slight tweaking to make sure it tastes simply as daring and shiny as soon as frozen. Along with the basic elements required for the drink—Aperol, Prosecco, and glowing water— this granita additionally consists of contemporary orange and lemon juice for balancing acidity, in addition to a spoonful of sugar to  improve the Aperol’s zesty notes. The result’s neon orange ice crystals that style very similar to the unique cocktail. 

Combine properly. Most granita recipes contain heating the liquid base on the range to dissolve any added sugar. Since this recipe requires solely a small quantity of sugar, I’ve opted to skip this step completely. The three tablespoons of sugar will dissolve with out the necessity for warmth—simply take care to stir the combination properly, whisking for a couple of minute, till you possibly can now not see any granulated sugar within the liquid. (If a contact of undissolved sugar stays, it received’t be discernable within the remaining product.)

Use a shallow pan. A 9- by 13-inch baking dish could seem too huge for the job, however its large floor space helps the granita freeze shortly. Plus, a skinny layer of liquid is far simpler to completely scrape than a big chunk of ice. Be sure that your pan is freezer-safe; I like to recommend utilizing a freezer-safe glass dish, resembling Pyrex, however you may use ceramic or aluminum. Keep away from nonstick pans, as scraping might injury the coating.

Use a fork—and scrape steadily. Each half hour or so, drag a fork by way of the granita to interrupt up any massive ice crystals. Not like a spoon or knife, a fork’s tines assist it simply carve by way of the semi-frozen combination, which is the best technique to break the ice into small flakes. This creates the granita’s signature texture and prevents the combination from changing into an enormous ice dice. Fortunately, the alcohol on this recipe prevents the combination from freezing fully; even in the event you wait a bit longer than half-hour to scrape the granita, you shouldn’t have any hassle attaining a lightweight, flaky consistency.    

No Prosecco, no downside. To imitate the flavour of a basic Aperol spritz, I name for Prosecco in my recipe under. However as a result of Prosecco loses its effervescence as soon as frozen, you don’t must splurge on a bottle of bubbly to make this granita! Most semi-sweet or dry white wines will make an appropriate alternative—simply keep away from these which might be overly candy, very dry, or oaky. An Italian pinot grigio could be a pleasant selection, as would riesling or sauvignon blanc.

The way to Serve an Aperol Spritz Granita

Is that this a dessert or an aperitivo? That is as much as you! Serve this frozen spritz in coupe glasses garnished with contemporary mint leaves and an orange slice, get pleasure from it as is, or high it off with glowing water for a slushy, bubbly beverage.