Slush

The Good Life with Eli F.J. Tajanlangit

It is now popularly called by the sexy terms "slush," "snow cone" or "Italian ice", this sweet icy liquid that is usually fruity and always refreshing.

In the old days, of course, we used to call it "granita", usually strawberry-flavored, distinctly red and utterly sweet, especially the cheap versions that made up for their lack of flavor by sugar-loading.

While "slush" mostly uses fruit flavors, there are versions that use chocolate and mocha, which is not exactly a huge surprise because granita, Good Friend Y said, even comes in almond and pistachio flavors abroad.

And while Pinoys regard granita and slush as icy drinks, and are served in glasses and even with straws, it is served as dessert by foreigners, especially Italians from whose country this frozen delight supposedly comes. There, granita is served in bowls, and has versions that range from the fine to the coarse.

It is close to the sorbet, but it is "wetter" so to speak, which is probably the reason why it is deemed as a drink hereabouts.

Aside from being served as a dessert, granita, especially those flavored with fruits like lemon, are also used as palate-cleaners - the intermission numbers between courses that are meant to prepare the tongue for the next set of flavors.

For locavore me, the most interesting slush or granita flavors are the ones that use our own fruits - watermelon, banana, kalamansi - which are among the range served in a local coffee shop.

Gaita Fores' Café Bola in Manila used to offer an even more interesting range of flavors - chico, jackfruit and even kamias, I just don't know if it still does.

While there are granita machines - somebody said it can also be made with gelato machines - some people I know have found a way to make it without machines or plenty off fuss.

There is the good old way of freezing the flavored liquid and taking it out shortly before it completely hardens as ice and then mashing it with a spoon or fork to produce the grainy consistently of the ice.

There is also another way - freeze the flavored liquid totally and then shave it like one shaves ice for halo-halo. This will still produce the trademark icy grains of the granita.

Or, the flavored ice can be put on a blender to produce the grainy, beady drink.

While any of these ways sound neat and easy on paper, I guess the consistency of the bases used for flavors has to be considered as well.

I am not an expert on this, but I know using fresh grapes will have a slightly different edge to it than when one uses grape concentrate for flavors.

And then, there is also the matter of consistency - fresh grapes will taste differently from fresh watermelon, just as jackfruit and guavas will have different textures when subjected to the granita process.

The trick, as always, is to experiment with these materials, the gustatory experience, if you ask me, is always made richer by tasting your successes and gulping down your mistakes with an equal dose of courage and aplomb.

So, go ahead, slush your way through the good life.*

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