If you're looking for a delicious way to cool down on a hot summer day, look no further. This Strawberry Lemon Gin Granita is refreshing with lots of fresh strawberries, botanical gin, and a squeeze of lemon juice!
The understated kick from the gin makes it perfect during these hot days during cocktail hour or as an end-of-the-night adult treat.
With summer in full swing, I couldn't wait to share this Strawberry Lemon Gin Granita recipe with you. This delicious recipe has lots of fresh fruit, so the texture is not as icy or flakey as some variations since it's fruit-forward with gin! Because of the gin added to this recipe, this granita is more on the slushy side.
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If you love fresh strawberries as much as I do, try this Strawberry Elderflower Gin Fizz and give this Vegan Gluten-free Strawberry Rhubarb Crisp a try! If you have fresh plums, try my Plum Ginger Gin Sour!
For a non-alcoholic strawberry drink, try this Vegan Strawberry Milk.
For more refreshing icy summer dessert recipes, check out these Cherry Coconut Popsicles and Blueberry Coconut Popsicles, as well as Vegan Creamy Coconut Popsicles
When is the last time you had a granita? Maybe in a restaurant with a selection of Italian desserts?
I've had granitas in restaurants as a dessert or in between courses at fancy restaurants as a refreshing palate cleanser that is not too sweet. I wanted to recreate a strawberry granita combined with a cocktail - and that's how I came up with this recipe!
What is a granita?
Granita is an Italian frozen dessert originating in Sicily and is typically hand-made with water, sugar, and assorted flavors such as fruit or coffee or wine and liqueurs. The texture is similar to a sorbet, but it is grainier with ice crystals.
Why make this granita?
Did I mention it's easy? You don't need an ice cream maker or a popsicle mold. It's so refreshing and is perfect for using up the bounty of fresh strawberries and other fruits during the summer.
This strawberry granita is a simple dessert to make for entertaining or to treat yourself! All you need to make this granita are fresh strawberries, simple syrup, gin, lemon zest, and lemon juice.
Ingredients
- Fresh strawberries - ripe, fresh strawberries are the best; although if you have overripe strawberries, this recipe is a great way to use them!
- Simple syrup - See my notes below on how to make simple syrup if you have never made it before.
- Gin - Use your favorite gin. I prefer an all-natural and gluten-free gin. I used Empress 1908 Gin which is a favorite in our household! Be sure to check out Empress 1908 Gin near you!
- Zest and juice of one lemon - for tartness.
How to make simple syrup
It's easy to make this sugar syrup which is frequently used in cocktails, lemonade, and for moistening layers of cake.
- Combine one cup of water and a half cup of organic cane sugar in a small saucepan. Simmer on low-medium heat until the sugar dissolves, stirring occasionally. Take it off the heat and let it cool. For this recipe, save a half cup and refrigerate the rest.
- If you'd like a sweeter simple syrup, use one cup of organic cane sugar with one cup of water.
Storage: Refrigerate for up to one month. Use it for making cocktails, lemonade, sweeten homemade popsicles, iced tea, add it to coffee, or drizzle it over dry cake. Try this Tamarind Margarita.
How to make a Strawberry Lemon Gin Granita
First, you are going to make a strawberry puree mixed with sugar syrup and the rest of the ingredients. Then freeze it on a tray, mix it together by stirring it occasionally, and serve.
- Blend. Place the strawberries into a high-powered blender. Add simple syrup, gin, zest, and juice of one lemon. Start the blender at low speed and gradually increase the speed to medium-high for 45 to 60 seconds.
- Freeze. Pour the mixture onto a baking sheet with a rim. Place in the freezer for approximately 30 minutes until icy at the edges.
- Mix. Take a metal fork and pull the edges towards the middle, which will be slushy. Mix and freeze for another 30 minutes. Then, repeat the process with the fork, bringing the edges towards the center. Repeat this process, mixing every 30 minutes over a total of 4 to 6 hours until the granita is icy.
- Serve immediately or transfer to a glass container and freeze until ready to serve—portion the granita into coupe glasses or large glasses. Get a spoon and enjoy!
Serve this delicious granita with fresh mint and a spoon since it's too thick to drink.
Expert tip
Stir the mixture every 30 minutes for 4 to 6 hours during freezing, so it doesn't turn into a block of ice. If you're not going to enjoy the granita immediately, place it in an airtight glass container.
Substitutions
Sweeter: You can add another tablespoon or two of organic cane sugar or simple syrup when blending your granita to make it a touch sweeter.
Lemon - use lime juice and lime zest instead.
Strawberries - try other seasonal fruits such as raspberries or peaches.
Variations
Deluxe: Add sliced fresh strawberries or coconut cream
Kid-friendly: Replace the gin with water, sparkling water, sparkling strawberry water, lemonade, lime juice, limeade, grapefruit juice, orange juice, or any other juice you like. Adjust the sweetness to your taste.
Mocktail version - See the kid-friendly version above, or replace the gin with tonic water or club soda.
Storage
Store this granita in an airtight glass container in the freezer for up to one week. Before serving, let it thaw briefly and rake through the mixture with a fork.
More Empress Gin recipes
I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as we did! If you make this recipe, please take a moment to ★★★★★ star-rate it and leave a comment below. Follow me on Instagram and Facebook, and share your creation with me! Tag me @resplendentkitchen and hashtag #resplendentkitchenrecipes.
Recipe
Strawberry Lemon Gin Granita
Equipment
- blender
- colander
- Paring knife
- Strawberry huller
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ lb. fresh strawberries hulled and halved (794 g)
- ½ cup simple syrup 125 ml
- ½ cup gin 125 ml
- Zest and juice of one organic lemon
Instructions
- Place the strawberries into a high-powered blender. Add simple syrup, gin, zest, and juice of one lemon. Start the blender at low speed and gradually increase the speed to medium-high for 45 to 60 seconds.
- Pour the mixture onto a metal baking sheet with a rim. Place in the freezer for approximately 30 minutes until icy at the edges.
- Take a metal fork and pull the edges towards the middle, which will be slushy. Mix and freeze for another 30 minutes. Then, repeat the process with the fork, bringing the edges towards the center. Repeat this process over a total of 4 to 6 hours, until the granita is icy. Break down frozen chunks with a fork.
- Serve immediately or transfer to a glass container and freeze until ready to serve. Portion granita into coupe glasses or large glasses Enjoy!
Notes
Nutrition
Resplendent Kitchen offers nutritional information for recipes contained on this site as a courtesy. Although resplendentkitchen.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information from online calculators, these figures are estimates.
Brian
It's a great mid-afternoon cooler on a hot day.
Emily
Thank you, Brian, I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Becky
Love this refreshing granita! Not overly sweet so it can be served as an aperitif or palate cleanser or dessert. Easy to make. Recommend this recipe 100%
Emily
Thank you for your review, Becky! We're so glad to hear that you love our granita recipe. You are right--it's refreshing and not overly sweet, making it the perfect aperitif or dessert. We hope you'll try out some of our other recipes as well!
Julia
Wow! Love the freshness and slight sweetness from the strawberries paired with the kick of the gin. This would be great at a summer get together. This is going to become a favourite around here I think, probably replacing the gin for the limeade for weekdays as you suggest. Thank you for sharing.
Emily
Thank you so much, Julia. This refreshing granita is perfect for summer and can easily be made within the gin! Enjoy!
Anaiah
The last time I had granita was at a resort in Cancun and I was so amazed by it. I'm so happy to have found your recipe so I could finally make it myself. It was easy to make, absolutely delicious, and so refreshing with added mint on top. I loved the amount of strawberries in it, so perfect!
Emily
Thank you for trying my recipe, Anaiah! I'm so happy to hear you loved it and that it was easy to make. Hopefully you can enjoy it all summer long!
Kayla
Oh my, this was perfect for a warm day! It was so refreshing and delicious and so summery!
Emily
Thank you so much for your review, Kayla. I'm so glad to hear this was perfect for a warm day. I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer!
Daniela
Fabulous dessert! I enjoyed this on a hot day and it hit the spot!
Emily
Thank you for the 5-star review Daniela! I'm happy to hear our dessert was a hit and that it helped cool you down on a hot day!
Joshua
First time having granita and wow! This little boozy strawberry slushy was a real treat!
Emily
Thank you so much for your review, Joshua! We're so glad you enjoyed the Strawberry Granita!
Natalie
This is so refreshing and perfect for summer. Color is amazing!
Emily
Thank you, Natalie!
Mireille
This drink tastes just as good as it looks.....perfect for any occasion!
Emily
Thanks so much for your review, I really appreciate it!
Anjali
This was such a fun summer treat! We actually replaced the gin with lemonade and my kids absolutely loved it!
Emily
That sounds wonderful, Anjali, thank you for your review! I'm so happy to hear your kids loved it!
Jess
This drink is what summers are made of!
Emily
Thanks so much, Jess! I'm glad you agree!
Ieva
Great use of summer strawberries! We made it yesterday and enjoyed it in the garden after dinner! Light and refreshing, with a good kick of gin. We made it with lime instead of lemon (that's what we had) and it tasted delicious!
Emily
Thank you for trying our recipe Ieva, and for leaving such a glowing review! I'm so happy to hear that you enjoyed it. The strawberry-gin combo is definitely a winner, and we love that you substituted lime for lemon!
Amanda
Never made a granita before so I loved trying this. Perfect for a hot day!
Emily
Hi Amanda, granitas are perfect for summer days when you need something cold and refreshing!
Katherine
This is my new cocktail of the summer! Love it.
Emily
Thanks for trying out my recipe Katherine, I'm glad you love it!