Wednesday, August 6, 2025

Frozen Aperol Spritz? Sure, and It’s Even Higher Than the Cocktail

Why It Works

  • Utilizing a fork to interrupt up the ice crystals produces a granita with a fluffy, snow-like texture.
  • The acidity of contemporary orange and lemon juice balances out the sweetness of the Aperol.

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 vibrant citrus notes make it a enjoyable beverage for a scorching day, and it’s one I flip to every summer season. The one factor extra invigorating than an Aperol spritz? A frozen one. 

Critical Eats / Deli Studios


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 excellent for a heatwave blissful hour. Granita, a semi-frozen dessert with a fluffy texture much 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. Nearly any liquid, although, might be became granita—even your favourite cocktail. Not like many different frozen treats, there’s no particular tools wanted to arrange 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 endurance.

5 Ideas for Making a Refreshing Granita

Season the granita base with contemporary citrus juice and sugar. Since chilly temperatures uninteresting taste, a basic Aperol spritz wants slight tweaking to make sure it tastes simply as daring and vibrant 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 like the unique cocktail. 

Critical Eats / Deli Studios


Combine nicely. 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 solely. The three tablespoons of sugar will dissolve with out the necessity for warmth—simply take care to stir the combination nicely, whisking for a couple of minute, till you may now not see any granulated sugar within the liquid. (If a contact of undissolved sugar stays, it gained’t be discernable within the closing product.)

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

Use a fork—and scrape ceaselessly. Each half hour or so, drag a fork via the granita to interrupt up any giant ice crystals. Not like a spoon or knife, a fork’s tines assist it simply carve via the semi-frozen combination, which is the best approach 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 utterly; even for those who wait a bit longer than half-hour to scrape the granita, you shouldn’t have any bother attaining a light-weight, flaky consistency.    

Critical Eats / Deli Studios


No Prosecco, no drawback. 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 need to splurge on a bottle of bubbly to make this granita! Most semi-sweet or dry white wines will make an appropriate substitute—simply keep away from these which can be overly candy, very dry, or oaky. An Italian pinot grigio could be a pleasant alternative, as would riesling or sauvignon blanc.

Find out how 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.

Critical Eats / Deli Studios


August 2024

Frozen Aperol Spritz? Sure, and It’s Even Higher Than the Cocktail



Prepare dinner Mode
(Preserve display awake)

For the Granita:

  • 12 fluid ounces Prosecco or white wine (360 ml; 1 1/2 cups)

  • 8 fluid ounces Aperol (240 ml; 1 cup)

  • 2 1/2 fluid ounces water (80 ml; 1/3 cup)

  • 2 1/2 fluid ounces orange juice (80 ml; 1/3 cup), freshly squeezed or store-bought (see notes)

  • 1 1/2 fluid ounces lemon juice (45 ml; 3 tablespoons), freshly squeezed

  • 3 tablespoons granulated sugar (1 1/2 ounces; 45 g)

To Serve: 

  • Small handful contemporary mint leaves (non-obligatory)

  • Orange slices (non-obligatory)

  • Glowing water (non-obligatory)

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk Prosecco, Aperol, water, orange juice, lemon juice, and sugar collectively to mix, stirring till sugar has dissolved, about 1 minute. Pour into an 8- by 8- inch sq. or 9- by 13-inch glass or ceramic baking dish. Cowl with plastic wrap and place within the freezer till partially frozen, about 1 hour.

    Critical Eats / Deli Studios


  2. Run a fork via the combination and across the edges of the pan, taking care to interrupt up any giant ice chunks. Return pan to freezer and repeat course of each half-hour till little to no liquid stays, 4 to five hours. (The entire time will fluctuate relying on the temperature of your freezer and the scale of your pan.)

    Critical Eats / Deli Studios


  3. Serve in Champagne coupes or martini glasses. Garnish every glass with contemporary mint leaves and an orange slice, if desired. For a slushy beverage, high every glass with a splash of seltzer or glowing water.

    Critical Eats / Deli Studios


    Particular Tools

    8- by 8- inch or 9- by 13-inch freezer-safe glass, ceramic, or steel dish, plastic wrap

    Notes

    Since Prosecco loses its effervescence as soon as frozen, a dry or semi-sweet white wine could also be used as an alternative for the same impact.

    If utilizing store-bought juice, search for pulp-free or low-pulp juice. To take away pulp from freshly squeezed orange and lemon juice, pressure juice via a fine-mesh sieve; discard pulp or reserve for different use.

    The freezing time will depend upon the temperature of your freezer and the scale of your pan.

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