Printed September 3, 2026
Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster Granita
The frozen dessert version of the Hitchhiker's Guide's most notorious cocktail. Like having your brains smashed out by a slice of lemon wrapped around a large gold brick—but in a good way.
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 1 cup sugar
- Juice of 4 lemons
- Zest of 2 lemons
- 1/2 cup gin
- 1/4 cup blue curaçao
- 2 tablespoons absinthe
- 1 teaspoon butterfly pea flower powder
- Pinch of sea salt
- Gold luster dust
- Fresh mint leaves for garnish
- Lemon wheels for serving
Preparation
Douglas Adams described the Pan Galactic Gargle Blaster as the best drink in existence—and the effect of drinking one as 'like having your brains smashed in by a slice of lemon wrapped round a large gold brick.' We've tamed this legendary beverage into a sophisticated frozen dessert that captures the spirit without the actual brain damage.
Creating the Granita
- Combine water and sugar in a saucepan and heat until sugar dissolves completely. Remove from heat and cool to room temperature.
- Stir in lemon juice, lemon zest, gin, blue curaçao, absinthe, butterfly pea powder, and salt.
- Pour mixture into a shallow metal baking pan (9x13 works perfectly).
- Place in freezer. After 45 minutes, use a fork to scrape and break up ice crystals.
- Continue freezing, scraping every 30 minutes, for about 3-4 hours total, until the entire mixture is fluffy, crystalline ice.
- Just before serving, mix a pinch of gold luster dust into a small portion of the granita.
Serving
Serve in chilled glasses with a lemon wheel on the rim and a mint sprig. The butterfly pea powder gives it an otherworldly blue-purple color that shifts slightly depending on the acidity, creating a color-changing effect worthy of a drink from Betelgeuse.
Best enjoyed while contemplating the number 42 and the improbability of everything.
