Spanish Cocktail: Lemon Cava Sorbet

Typically, early morning hours in Spain are gorgeous, with a gentle breeze that delicately caresses your skin, awakening your senses and offering the perfect compliment to your first cup of coffee. Paired with pan con tomate, or a simple yoghurt and fresh fruit mix, it’s my favorite time of the day! Recently, however, I’ve been dreaming of becoming a contortionist so that my body can bend, twist and fold perfectly into my freezer, next to the frozen shrimp and random peas scattered across the top drawer. Just the thought of it right now sends delicious chills down my spine.

In short, it’s HOT!!

And when it’s this unbearable, anything that is even remotely cold in temperature sounds exquisite – that includes putting that bag of peas I spoke of earlier on my head. Trust me, I’ve done it more than once. But this doesn’t necessarily cool the tastebuds.

Therefore, you can imagine the enormous grin that snuck across my face when the 3rd largest Cava producer in Spain, Gramona, posted a recipe on how to make Lemon Cava Sorbet (in spanish) on their Facebook Page. The image alone was so appealing that I unconsciously licked my lips in desire. Vodka, vanilla ice cream, Cava, Curaçao Blue…sigh, where is my in-house bartender!! “Benson, I expect a perfect martini glass filled with this delicious concoction in 10 minutes or I’ll feed you to the 3 inch lizards we have hiding all over this house!”

Obviously, Benson the Butler must have been sprawled out on the beach somewhere, because I found myself staring longingly at my freezer with neither ice cream, curacao or cava. So tonight, I hope you join me as we together do some serious food shopping to make ourselves a dinner of Cava Lemon Sorbet!! Who needs dinner when you have cava?

Lemon Cava Sorbet Recipe

(Translated from  Eva Arguiñano‘s recipe)

Suggested quantity for 6 people (or for 1 if you’re like me)

• 1/2 bottle de Cava
• 1 liter of lemon ice cream
• 8 tablespoons of cream
• 4 tablespoons of vodka
• 1 lemon
• A splash of Blue Curaçao
• 2 tablespoons of sugar
• Handful of mint leaves

Directions

1. Clean the lemon and strip off a long slice of the skin with a paring knife. Then cut the skin in long thin strips and put to side
2. Place the ice cream into the blender, add the cream, vodka and cava. Blend until well mixed.
3. Put the sugar on a plate and the martini glasses in the freezer. When you’re ready to serve, line the inside of the martini glass with Curacao, pouring the remainder into the next glass, and so on and so forth. Then dip the rim of the glass into the sugar.
4. Pour the sorbet into each cup adorning it with the mint leaves and strips of lemon skin.

Suggestion

If you’re aiming for more of a dessert, go a touch heavier on the cream and ice cream. If more of a cocktail, add more vodka and cava.

Additionally, if you are out of lemon, you can substitute lime or orange. Same is also true with using Orange Licor instead of Curacao.

Do you have any other Cava Cocktails you’d love to share?

Enjoy!

Gabriella Opaz