negroni granita.
grapefruit, campari, and orange juice combine into an icy frozen treat that tastes just like the cocktail.
Serves: 2 Prep time: 5 minutes Cook Time: 8 hours, 5 minutes jump to recipe.
I think granitas have been haunting me this summer. I really do. I see them everywhere after 28 years of never even hearing about them. And for the record, it’s not just the internet — yes, I know how algorithms work — it’s things like books, billboards, and restaurants. Granitas everywhere.
In fact, an entire granita shop opened up in Cleveland. I mean, what are the odds? Is this the new fro-yo?
They’re delicious, so I’m almost sad it took so long to enter my life. As someone who’s largely dairy-free, granitas are a lifesaver.
what is granita
To tell you what granita is, I need to explain how it’s made. Granita is simple syrup and flavoring (such as almond extract or orange juice) that is agitated while it freezes, so it never quite becomes a solid block of ice. It’s a very similar concept to shaved ice, but granita is served as a scoop of fluffed ice and shaved ice, typically, is served as a block you shave the ice from.
You could also compare it to a sno-cone, except generally sno-cones are more icy and receive flavoring after freezing. Granita is supposed to be very soft.
Granita texture is very specific, and someone from Italy would probably critique my granita for being too icy. It should kind of be like sorbet — totally smooth — except.. kind of.. icy?
You kind of can’t understand it until you have it.
how to make it
The only real equipment you need for granita is some sort of freezable shallow container. I say shallow because it’s much easier than a deli cup or cambro, and I’ll tell you why.
If you’ve ever waited for ice cubes to freeze (we didn’t have an ice maker for a long time, so we have done lots of waiting), you’ve probably noticed that different shapes freeze at different speeds. And maybe if you were unlucky once, you pulled an ice cube too early and watched the middle collapse into its liquidy self.
Yeah, I’ve had some ice mishaps.
You need it to spread over a large surface area so that it freezes evenly. Sure, you could toss it in a Cambro and freeze it into a giant cube overnight, but that’s not how you make granita.
No, you need to “fluff” the ice as it freezes, so you really need it to freeze all at once. Otherwise you’ll have a weird goopy mess.
So here are some ideas: A shallow Pyrex or Tupperware, like I used, glass preferred. This way, you have a nice lid to cover the granita with.
A sheet tray. Yep, it’s super shallow, but if you have room in the freezer for it, it’s an option. You’re best off with a jelly roll size; a half sheet and larger will be a little too large.
A cake pan or brownie pan. By brownie pan, of course, I mean an 8x8-inch baking pan. These are freezer friendly and about the right size — a 9x13 would work but may be a little large.
The shape and materials will affect the freezing a little differently, but at the end of the day, the liquid will freeze eventually and you’ll have granita.
sugar, grapefruit, oranges — you don’t need to use fresh fruit, but it’ll taste a little better. do what’s easiest.
negroni granita ingredients
simple syrup: We never buy simple syrup anymore because it’s way too easy to make at home. For this recipe, I highly recommend making the syrup so that the consistency and sweetness is right (store bought will likely be a 2:1 sugar to water ratio, very sweet). To make simple syrup, you just need water, sugar, and maybe 3 minutes on a stove.
orange juice: You can use fresh, but I actually used packaged and liked it fine. For the record, I wanted my granita as sweet as possible, so I wanted the added sugars in bottled OJ.
grapefruit juice: Again, use fresh if you prefer it. This one is about the same bitterness either way. I actually think it’s more economical to use fresh grapefruit and bottled OJ because I can never find a small bottle of grapefruit juice (so then I have a gallon wasting away in the fridge for forever).
campari: The truth is, I hate Campari. If I was making this for me only, I’d probably leave it out. Use Campari only if you are seeking the taste of negroni — otherwise, I encourage you to omit the campari and use a little bit of cherry juice for color. If you don’t like Campari, you will not like this granita as is. But then again, you probably don’t like negronis, either.
gin: Any gin will work, really, as the flavor isn’t very dominant here. I made this a few times as used Engine Gin, then Beefeater, then Aviation. All fine. I think using a high end gin for this is unnecessary — you won’t get the payoff. Use something relatively budget friendly here.
Just a container of liquid. You can taste test it now and adjust as needed; too sweet, add a little more grapefruit. too bitter, add more simple syrup or OJ. the flavor will roughly reflect the end result.
use a fork to “fluff” the ice into a soft consistency. It melts quickly, so fluff, then return to the freezer.
negroni granita pairing options
Granita is actually a breakfast in parts of Italy, did you know that? Of course, it’s not a traditional breakfast in America and especially so with Campari and gin mixed in. Here are some ways to serve it as a dessert:
with vanilla ice cream (this is especially good if you find it too bitter)
over panna cotta
on top of pudding
with other granita, like almond or pomegranate
alongside pie or tarts
with cheesecake
with an actual negroni?
with prosecco
the many ways to serve granita. always in a fancy glass!
