A Grown Up Summer Treat – Chandon Granita (Yummy!)

I don’t drink alcohol often. I’ll have a glass of wine from time to time but that is about the extent of it. On those rare occasions I get to go out with friends I’m usually the designated driver, which is fine with me.

From time to time I receive wines to review. I recently received a bottle of Chandon Brut Classic. I have never tried a wine like this before so I was curious to see what it was like.

I did some research on this wine and this is what I found;

This wine offers the balance and elegance that has become Chandon’s hallmark style. When you taste Brut Classic, look for nutty flavors with hints of brioche that build to a refreshing dry finish. The wine delivers complex apple and pear characteristics accented by citrus spice over notes of almond and caramel in the bouquet.

I am really bad when it comes to figuring out what different tastes. How people can pick up things like almond or pears is beyond me. I am far from a wine conniseur. I discuss wines in “layman’s terms”, meaning I keep it simple and describe things as I see it.

For me I can taste the fruit in this Chandon. More so pear over apple. While I didn’t pick up the almond or caramel tastes specifically, you can tell there is something more to this than just the fruit. To say it has a “nutty” taste would be correct. It does in a way. It’s not overbearing. In fact this Chandon is light and refreshing. This is the kind of drink you have with your friends while sitting around the fire pit in your backyard. It’s not a “fancy” drink. While you could serve this at an elegant dinner party, I think this is best suited for more casual gathering. This is an ideal drink for any summer time gathering you have planned. It’s sparkling so it gives the air of “celebration” too.

You could easily use Chandon Classic Brut in place of $$$ champagne too.

Chandon recently launched a Limited Edition bottle that is all decked out in patriotic red, white and blue. The bottle will be available until the end of summer. This would be fun to have on hand for your 4th of July parties. What a perfect way to celebrate the holiday. I actually really like the bottle. It’s whimsical and colorful.

The Limited Edition bottle is available in 750ml ($22) and 187ml ($7) sizes. It’s the same Brut Classic, it’s just in a festive bottle.

I received a recipe to try out with the Chandon Brut Classic. Sadly I messed up along the way. What was supposed to be a granita turned out to be a giant ice cube. LOL! I think my probably was that I didn’t use a full bottle of the Brut Classic and I messed up on the Simple Syrup. I thought you had to buy Simple Syrup but I learned you can make it by boiling sugar with water. I read that you need two parts sugar and one part water. It would have helped A LOT of I didn’t REVERSE that! Duh! I did two parts water and one part sugar.

Granita needs to be raked with a fork. Mine turned out too hard to rake so I had to break off chunks and suck on them. NEXT TIME I’ll make it the correct way.

Here is the recipe. Be sure to follow it correctly and remember a Simple Syrup is two parts SUGAR and one part water.

Chandon Granita is like “summer in a cup”. This is also an adults only dessert since it does contain alcohol.

Chandon Granita

Ingredients:

1 750ml bottle Chandon Brut Classic

1 3/4 cup Simple Syrup

1 cup of water

2T fresh lemon juice

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, stir thoroughly. Cover and place in freezer until solid — approximately 5-6 hours. Rake the frozen Granita with a fork. Spoon into dishes. Sprinkle with fresh lemon zest and enjoy immediately!

I wish I had a photo of it. Like I said, mine was an ice cube. It should look like this (below) but it will be more clear in color (unlike the red in the photo).

Its supposed to have the consistency and texture of an Italian Ice.

I plan on making it again but correctly next time.

If you would like to learn more about Chandon Classic Brut visit www.Chandon.com. You can purchase Chandon bottles online. They are also served at fine restaurants across the country as well as other retail locations. There is a store and restaurant locator on their website.

If you like the Granita recipe you can find other delicious recipes on the Chandon website.