INGREDIENTS to serve 6 people :-
Syrup
110 g (4 oz) granulated sugar
275 ml (10 fl oz) water
1 teaspoon juniper berries - crushed
Flavouring
570 ml (1 pint) ruby red grapefruit juice
50 ml (2 fl oz) gin
METHOD :-
Syrup
Stir the syrup ingredients to the boil in a saucepan, and simmer for about 5 minutes.
Leave to infuse off the heat for 1 hour.
When completely cold, strain off the juniper berries, and discard the berries.
Flavouring
Add the flavouring ingredients to the cold juniper syrup and stir well.
Place the liquid in a shallow container in the freezer.
Remove every hour and break up with a fork until flaky ice crystals form.
This may take up to half a day to complete.
Eventually the ice crystals will form and appear loose, and free flowing like snowflakes.
Store the granita in a lidded plastic container in the freezer.
This granita will not stick together like a sorbet, but remains loose and flaky.