Nothing says summertime like a tall glass of fresh lemonade – or as the Baroness Shraeder said in The Sound of Music (one of my favorite movies of all time), “something long and cool, Georg?” This sorbet would have certainly captured their hearts on that gorgeous patio in Austria – pink, boozy and tart, full of just enough zest and sweetness to keep everyone happy. And yes, my dream job would have been to cater for the von Trapp family – those singing, dancing, curtain-wearing charmers have had my heart for a while now.
I make this treat in an ice cream maker so as to give it lightness and creaminess, but if you’d like to enjoy it in a little more icy format (or if you don’t have an ice cream maker), you can absolutely make it as a granita. Once the base is made, rather than pour it into the ice cream maker, pour the liquid into a 13×9 baking pan. Place in the freezer and on 20 minute intervals, scrape up the ice crystals that form with a spoon. Keep on doing this until the entire mixture is icy and a gorgeous garnet color. Transfer to a plastic quart container until ready to serve.
The optional shot of Absolut Açai, an Amazon superfruit that is the new feature flavor of Absolut’s vodka line, is there to enhance the rich, wild flavor of the blueberries. It’s absolutely optional, but a lovely addition. The berries should be whatever is cheap and good looking at the grocer or farmer’s market. Mix and match to your hearts content – this one is an absolute celebration of the season, and you can’t very well celebrate without the loveliest of fresh ingredients.
Recipe for
Berry Lemonade Sorbet
Ingredients
2 pts. of fresh berries (I like 1 pt. each of blackberries and blueberries)
1 c. of sugar
1/2 c. of water
zest of 1 lemon
juice and pulp of 3 lemons
1 tbs. of Absolut Açai vodka (optional)
In a small saucepan, bring the 1 c. of sugar and 1/2 c. of water to a boil. Stir to make sure that all the sugar has dissolved and then strain into a tupperware. Chill in the fridge.
To a blender, add the sugar/water mixture, the lemon zest, lemon juice, vodka and 2 pints of mixed berries. Blend until smooth. Strain mixture into a bowl, pressing on the solids to get all of the pulp through and leaving just the coarse bits and the seeds. Cool mixture and then pour into an ice cream maker, following the manufacturer’s instructions.
Remove sorbet to a plastic container and freeze until solid. Serve to your most creative of friends – like maybe the family of exceptional singers from Austria?