Nothing screams summer more than watermelon on a hot day. Why not spend ten minutes and make our Watermelon Granita and enjoy your watermelon in frozen form? Our riesling grape nectar blend takes this classic Italian ice to the next level with its sweet floral undertones. With no added sugar, our granita will quickly become your favorite hot weather snack, cocktail ingredient, or everyday treat!  

BLEND USED: All-Sass California Grape Nectar

Tasting attributes: The slight floral notes of the riesling and gewurztraminer grapes give an unexpectedly sweet and fragrant finish

Granita is the lesser known Italian cousin of sorbet and ice cream and is characterized by its fairly large, individual ice crystal formation. The texture of granita is not like anything else, making this a super simple and new way to enjoy summer fruits. And although it may look like a dessert, we enjoy it nearly any time throughout the day! Cold, refreshing, and slightly sweet, this recipe offers so much with four simple ingredients you probably already have in your kitchen.  

Any fruit can be used in the recipe, but we absolutely love the watermelon-lime combo. We have even tried out a classic Silician almond and lemon variation, so the options are endless in making this granita your own. Sugar is always a component of granita, so why not choose a lighter option that will bring character to your fruit instead of add on weight and calories? We tested out all three of our Grape Nectar blends and found our All-Sass variety to be the best sugar alternative. The Alsatian wine grape characters perfectly compliment the light and refreshing nature of the granita. Wine grape sugar gives the most interesting finish on the palate that is unparalleled with use of any other natural sweetener.

To add, the average granita recipe uses ¼ to ½ cups of granulated sugar in the recipe. By replacing refined sugar with Grape Nectar, you only need 2 to 3 tablespoons, equaling out less than 9 grams of naturally occurring sugar per cup serving size! You eliminate refined sugar and add unique flavor to the recipe by trying out our all natural, low calorie sugar alternative. Wine not?

And there’s so much more to test out! Try adding granita to some of your favorite summer drinks and foods. We love to add granita to a little bubbly (alcoholic or sparkling water) to make a slushy cocktail, or shake it up in a drink to add a pretty pink, sweet touch. We’ve even seen granita paired with oysters and sashimi to stimulate and refresh the palate.

With our Watermelon Granita recipe in your arsenal (and hopefully your freezer for the rest of summer), you can be prepared with a fun, frozen treat at your next BBQ gathering or simply beat the heat with a couple spoonfuls right out of the freezer. Either way, you will eat and #DrinkBetter

WATERMELON GRANITA RECIPE

Difficulty

Easy

Ingredients

• 4 cups watermelon, cubed
• 1 Tbsp fresh lime juice
• 2-3 Tbsp All-Sass Grape Nectar
• a pinch of sea salt

Preparation

1. Thoroughly purée all ingredients in a food processor.
2. Freeze for 1 hour.
3. Stir with a fork, making sure to mash any large chunk. 
4. Return to the freezer. Stir once again one hour later.
5. Cover with foil & freeze until firm, ~2 hours.
6. When serving, scrape mixture beforehand.

Get your Grape Nectar now!