Let’s chat about two things today, two things that are AWESOME but that I’ve never tried until the last week: making my own wine granita and watching a movie in the comfort of my own backyard. I have no defense, really, for being in this place: I like wine, I like movies, I like granita. Just what on Earth have I been doing with my summers, huh? MAKING POOR LIFE CHOICES. I KNOW.
Here’s the thing about boozy frozen things: they seem a little tough to figure out how to make. We all know that you can keep vodka in the freezer to make it extra chilly and it doesn’t freeze. Because it’s magic! In order to get something with alcohol to freeze, you have to make sure that you have the right proportions of alcohol to non-alcohol. I guess that seemed intimidating? I was completely, totally, utterly wrong.
This Riesling granita is SUPER simple to make, tastes delicious and is fresh and cool. Pair it with the sparkling juice that Izze sent over for this collaboration to make juicy, flavorful floats and then host your OWN movie night.
I settled on Riesling for my first homemade wine granita because it’s one of my favorite wines- especially for summer. Riesling is light and cool, plus a little sweet. It’s also aromatic and fruity, which happens to pair perfectly with Izze’s sparkling juices.
- 2 cups Riesling (or your favorite white wine)
- 1/2 cup Izze Sparkling Apple (or apple juice)
- 1/3 cup water
- 1/3 cup sugar
- Add all ingredients together into a medium bowl and whisk until the sugar is dissolved, approximately two minutes.
- Pour mixture into a freezer friendly pan- oblong cake pans about 9x13" work best.
- Cover pan with plastic wrap and freeze for at least 4 hours.
- Stir granita with a fork to remove and clumps and serve immediately.
- Scoop the granita right into a cup full of your favorite Izze Sparkling drink! I chose the Blackberry flavor, but any flavor will be delicious.
The granita is nice and light, so you don’t even need a spoon! I loved using a straw because you could stir it all together for a little granita surprise in every sip.
Now, let’s talk about this outdoor movie. The daunting part for me was wondering how to get a tv outside, but this was SO MUCH EASIER than I expected. Our backyard has an outlet right outside the door and we set the tv right onto the patio table. This cart of treats made it super easy to make our own granita floats, grab some popcorn and a blanket and set up right on the lawn in a homemade blanket sanctuary. (Next time I REALLY need to include some Red Vines.)
To help you get going for your next outdoor (or indoor!) movie night, Izze has an awesome promotion at Safeway this month: buy any Izze 4-pack and receive a free one night movie rental from Redbox! Free movie? I see this all shaping up QUITE nicely.
Another tip: we just watched Jake Gyllenhaal in Demolition and I can’t recommend it enough. So, so very good.
This post was created in collaboration with Izze. Thank you for supporting the brands we love that love us! 🙂
Can we re-do this whole backyard movie night + granita float thing and I’ll come?? I’ll bring a baby. Seems fair, right?