My fiance is a bit of a sorbet fiend, he would eat it almost every day if he could; but I think he got through this batch more quickly than any other sorbet I have ever made before...it must be the gin... And to be fair, this gin and bitter lemon sorbet is pretty much everything you could ever want from a sorbet - light, refreshing, not too sweet and a little bit boozy...
This is an incredibly light, refreshing, not too sweet sorbet which includes a very generous slug of gin. It is also very easy to make, you just infuse carbonated bitter lemon and sugar with juniper berries (to give more of a 'gin' flavour), then add lemon juice and gin and leave to cool before whisking in an optional egg white (which is what makes the sorbet so light) and freezing in an ice cream maker.
I pushed the limits of the amount of gin you can include before you end up with a slushy rather than a sorbet (but a gin slushy wouldn't be a bad thing anyway) so it is a fairly soft serve sorbet. It won't freeze completely in the ice cream maker and will be more of a thick slushy consistency, but it will firm up a bit in the freezer overnight. Due to the large amount of gin and the slightly sharp flavour this is definitely a treat for adults only!
Gin And Bitter Lemon Sorbet
Ingredients
- 125 g granulated or caster sugar
- 30 juniper berries , bruised
- 400 ml carbonated bitter lemon
- 125 ml fresh lemon juice (about 2 large lemons)
- 75 ml gin
- 1 egg white OR 3 tablespoon aquafaba
Instructions
- Place the sugar, juniper berries and bitter lemon in a pan, bring up to a simmer and simmer gently for five minutes then remove from the heat and leave to cool. Stir in the lemon juice and gin and refrigerate until cold.
- Gently whisk the egg white or aquafaba in a large jug until just frothy then pass the lemon mixture through a sieve into the jug and whisk to combine. Churn in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturers instructions; it will not freeze as firmly as usual due to the gin but should reach at least a thick slushy texture.
- Transfer to a freezer-proof container and freeze overnight, it will remain a soft-serve consistency but will become firmer (unless you don't have a very powerful freezer in which case you may need to use less gin).
Ella
We've been passing juniper bushes in SoCal- if only we had the ability to freeze stuff in our backpacks, looks amazing!
hannahhossack
Oh that would be awesome! I'd love to try using fresh ones, I've only ever found dried. Hope you are having an awesome time on your travels, I'm rather jealous! x
Hilda
I'm with your fiance on this one. Looks delicious with the gin and juniper berries to boot. I'm always looking for things to do with my local source of foraged juniper berries - a much underused spice. Thanks for posting this.
hannahhossack
From the small amount I managed to nab before he ate it all I can tell you that yes, it was delicious! I will be making more... Oh lucky you! I've never seen fresh ones for sale anywhere, only dried.
Sally hossack
Must try that one Hannah. Sounds perfect for a warm summer's evening in the garden!
hannahhossack
It is! We really need to sort out the garden so we can sit out there...
Angela - Patisserie Makes Perfect
This is brilliant Hannah - I love gin and sorbet so this is my perfect dessert!
hannahhossack
Thanks Angela 🙂 They make a brilliant combination!
Diana
Can you tell me how much this makes please
Ahila
Love this sorbet and its flavourful combination of juniper berries, lemon and gin! Thank you for bringing this to the fiesta, Hannah! 🙂
hannahhossack
Thanks Ahila! Can't beat a boozy dessert 😛
Sadia Mohamed
This looks great Hannah! Perfect for the summer time now. Lovely photographs too. Thanks for sharing this at the fiesta friday. 🙂
hannahhossack
Thanks Sadia 🙂 It is a wonderful refreshing summer dessert, I need to make another batch!
Of Goats and Greens
I'm not crazy about gin, but maybe it's the combo of gin and tonic I don't like??? This looks appealing however, with the refreshing sorbet, and I'd gladly give it a try! Thanks for sharing at Fiesta Friday!
hannahhossack
Gin is my drink of choice and I love a good gin and tonic 🙂 this sorbet tastes completely different to that though - much more lemony and you can reduce the amount of gin if you like so there's just a hint
Jean
Why have you a non vegan sorbet on a vegan recipe site? Sorbet does not need egg white? I'm interested to know why you use the egg white
Hannah
As explained on my About page, this site did not start off as vegan so many of my old recipes are not vegan. All of my recipes since 2018 are vegan as are any new recipes I post and I am working my way through my old recipes veganising them wherever possible but as I'm sure you can appreciate it is not a quick and simple job. Egg white in sorbet is used to give it a fluffier, less icy texture but you can simply omit it.