• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Crumb: A Food Blog logo

  • Home
  • About Crumb
    • About Isabelle
    • Press, Awards and Contributions
    • Privacy Policy
  • About the Recipes
menu icon
go to homepage
search icon
Homepage link
  • Home
  • Recipe Index
  • About Crumb
  • About Isabelle
  • Privacy Policy
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
  • ×
    Home » dessert » ice cream » Tickled Pink: Grapefruit Campari Sorbet

    Tickled Pink: Grapefruit Campari Sorbet

    Jul 21, 2011 · 14 Comments

    Oh mama.  It sure is hot out there.

    I know I shouldn't complain, considering Canadian summers are so short, but I really do hate Toronto heat waves with a passion. I hate the thickness in the air, like a thick blanket that suffocates the city in its own smog and haze, until it's almost impossible to breathe.

    Pink Grapefruit Sorbet

    Give me balmy springs and autumns, when the thermostat doesn't budge much past the 20C mark, when the air carries a hint of crisp freshness and the evenings are blissfully cool. Hell, give me the depths of February winters, when it gets so cold that the air takes on a crystalline quality, and the brisk winter winds pelt snowflakes onto my face - I have a ridiculously warm parka and I'm not afraid to wear it. Just spare the hot, muggy summers. Please.

    Today, it feels almost like the city is wilting under the non-stop heat. My army of tomato plants is drooping despite twice-daily waterings, the lawn and flower beds are more brown than green, and the soles of my shoes feel like they're melting against the hot city asphalt.

    Squeezed Grapefruits

    Even I'm feeling a little bit wilted around the edges - well, except for my hair, which becomes impossibly frizzy in this humid weather.  I finally understand why delicate Southern Belles are always depicted as helplessly languishing on a chaise longue and speaking in a lazy drawn-out drawl... the crushing heat makes it impossible to do much else, honestly. Right now, the only thing I feel like doing is planting myself in front of an A/C vent with a big glass of ice-cold mint tea before I melt into a little puddle of misery.

    Given that the forecast is calling for temperatures in the mid-30s for another week or so, I've got a feeling I'll need all the help I can get to stay cool  I've got mini popsicle molds ready to be filled with pureed fruit, lots of ice in the freezer, a big pitcher of iced tea in the fridge and, best of all, central air conditioning.

    Hell, I may even throw on my bathing suit and run shrieking through the sprinkler on the front lawn, even though I know that's generally not considered appropriate behaviour in a 30-something year old woman.  Why should ten-year-olds should get all the fun?

    Pink Grapefruit Sorbet

    I'm also going to make a double batch of this sorbet.  The colour alone screams refreshment, a pale demure shade of pink that can only be described as blush, as ethereal and light as cotton candy or forthy pink chiffon dresses.  The flavour, on the other hand, is anything but delicate - it's pure icy cold in-your-face grapefruit, with a splash of bitter Campari to enhance the pink grapefruit's colour and flavour, and just enough sugar to blunt the bitter edge.

    This is exactly how I like my sorbets to be - tart and sweet, with an almost effervescent quality as it melts on your tongue, which makes it the perfect antidote to a muggy day.  Perhaps not as good as running through the sprinkler, but definitely less likely to shock the neighbours.

    //

    Pink Grapefruit Campari Sorbet
     
    Print
    This delicately pink sorbet packs a wallop of tart grapefruit flavour for a refreshing finish to a summer meal. Campari, an Italian aperitif with a bitter bite, does double duty in this recipe - its bright red colour enhances the sorbet's rosy hue, and also ensures a more scoopable texture by inhibiting ice crystal formation. Substitute with gin or vodka, if you can't find it.
    Author: Isabelle Boucher (https://www.crumbblog.com)
    Recipe type: Dessert
    Serves: 4-6
    Ingredients
    • 1 cup granulated sugar
    • ½ cup water
    • 2 tsp grapefruit zest
    • 3 cups ruby red grapefruit juice (5-6 large grapefruits)
    • 2 tbsp Campari liqueur
    Instructions
    1. In a small saucepan, combine sugar, water and grapefruit zest. Bring to a boil and stir to dissolve sugar. Let cool completely.
    2. In a small mixing bowl, combine cooled syrup with grapefruit juice and Campari. Transfer to the refrigerator to chill for at least one hour.
    3. Pour chilled mixture into container of an ice cream machine and churn until frozen. Scoop frozen sorbet into a container. Transfer the sorbet to the freezer for 2-3 hours to firm up (or preferably overnight).
    Wordpress Recipe Plugin by EasyRecipe
    1.2.4

     

    « A Currant Affair: Red Currant Meringue Torte
    Recipe Rewind #5: Ervilhas Guisadas (Portuguese Braised Peas with Eggs and Chourico) »
    3.4K shares
    • Share
    • Tweet
    • Email
    • Yummly

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. M L Wilson says

      May 28, 2021 at 12:11 pm

      I m with you on the heat and humidity as well as your preference for the other three seasons! I love Campari and Aperol. Can't wait to try this recipe.

      Reply
    2. Amy says

      May 6, 2019 at 6:54 am

      Do you have to use the liquor? Would it still taste good? Amy

      Reply
      • Isabelle Boucher says

        May 6, 2019 at 3:18 pm

        In this case, the Campari is an essential part of the recipe for both flavour and texture, and the only substitutes I can suggest are other bitter liqueurs such as Aperol.
        If you're specifically looking for a non-alcoholic version, I'd suggest searching for a regular grapefruit sorbet recipe rather than trying to adapt this one - it's a pretty common flavour, so there should be plenty of options to choose from!

        Reply
    3. Jennifer @ eatyourvegetable says

      August 16, 2011 at 7:54 pm

      Your website is gorgeous...and so is that sorbet! I'll definitely have to try it, we've still got weeks of soul-crushing heat ahead of us down here in Georgia :)

      Reply
    4. Russell says

      July 27, 2011 at 9:15 pm

      I'm guessing you wouldn't enjoy it down here in Texas much. I must admit though 30s doesn't sound too dramatic. I guess I'm use to speaking in Fahrenheit and complaining about it being in the 100s.

      This sorbet looks yummy! The color is delightful and I can only imagine how refreshing and tart the flavor is. Seeing as I've got summer down here for another 2 or 3 months I may get to make this a couple times over.

      Reply
      • Isabelle says

        July 27, 2011 at 10:39 pm

        Heh. No, Texas probably wouldn't suit me much, except maybe for 3 months in the middle of winter... I'm definitely a cooler-weather kinda gal.
        We rarely tip the high 90s in the summertime here, let alone the 100s, and that's just the way I like it.

        Reply
    5. leaf (the indolent cook) says

      July 24, 2011 at 6:24 am

      That's a beautiful pairing of flavours to be sure. Wish this could be my dessert tonight!

      Reply
    6. Katie @ Dip It In Chocolate says

      July 22, 2011 at 5:35 pm

      Besides for being gorgeous, this sounds SO refreshing. New follower here and I could definitely go for this!!

      Reply
    7. Natalie says

      July 22, 2011 at 5:57 am

      The colour is so beautiful! I really want to make this now even though I don't like grapefruit or campari, I will make myself like it... but I'm not running through the sprinkler!

      Reply
    8. Joy says

      July 21, 2011 at 10:37 pm

      The sorbet looks great.

      Reply
    9. Lindsey@Lindselicious says

      July 21, 2011 at 3:47 pm

      This sounds so tart and freshing! My favorite combo- and grapefruit is one of my favorite flavors too.

      Reply
    10. Dan says

      July 21, 2011 at 2:01 pm

      I like the addition of a liqueur. A woman after my own heart! :)

      Reply
      • Isabelle says

        July 21, 2011 at 2:05 pm

        But of course. I dump liqueur in all my frozen desserts. :) Remind me to share my recipe for cucumber-gin sorbet sometime.

        Reply
    11. Leanna @ Raptortoe says

      July 21, 2011 at 1:20 pm

      This looks so awesome and refreshing. I love grapefruit anything!

      Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Rate this recipe:  

    Primary Sidebar

    Hello! I'm Isabelle, and this is my blog. I'm a 40-something coffee-chugging, booty-shaking, bargain-shopping, trucker-swearing self-taught cook with a major addiction to vintage cookbooks. Come for the recipes, stay for the terrible puns! Connect with me on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter

    Looking for Something?...

    Archives

    Categories

    All images and content Copyright © 2025 Isabelle Boucher | Crumb: A Food Blog · Privacy Policy