Just say the words and watch as your quotidian concerns evaporate: “spiked sorbet.” At his brand-new scoop shop on SE Clinton Street, Fifty Licks owner Chad Draizin embraces this infallible formula, rafting his homemade frozen concoctions over sparkling wines and fruity beers. In this summer-stretching recipe, Draizin’s homage to Rhode Island’s famed lemon sorbet (churned with pith, peel, and all) melts in a martini glass under a bracing slug of bourbon. 

Rhode Island-Style Lemon Granita* 

(Makes 1 pint)

• 3 lemons 
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 1/4 cups water

1.  WASH lemons thoroughly with soap and water, and cut into quarters.
2. ADD sugar, water, and lemons to a food processor, and purée for 2 minutes.
3. STRAIN mixture into a shallow casserole or pan using a large spoon to squeeze the pulp against the walls of the strainer.
4. PLACE juice in freezer, and scrape its surface and sides with a fork every 20 minutes for an hour, breaking up any large clumps. 
5. FREEZE the granita for another hour (for a total of 2 hours). Use right away or store, covered, in freezer for up to 2 weeks.

Frozen Whiskey Lemonade

• 2 oz lemon granita 
• 3 tbsp bourbon or rye 
• 1 lemon, juiced (about 2 1/2 tbsp)
• 2 tbsp simple syrup
• 1 dash Peychaud’s bitters

1. SCOOP lemon granita (a dollop a little bigger than a golf ball) into a martini glass.
2. FILL a cocktail shaker with ice and add whiskey, lemon juice, and simple syrup, and shake.
3. STRAIN over granita. 
4. FINISH with a dash of bitters and serve with an espresso spoon.

*If you’re not up for homemade granita, pick some up at the new Fifty Licks scoop shop: 2021 SE Clinton St.