Lemon Ice from Albano's was a local hidden gem enjoyed by a steady stream of clientele all summer long. People from all walks of life loved the lemon ice from big wig executives pulling up in their fancy cars to the local kids around the block running in when they had a few bucks.
What made it so delicious?
Why was it different than other lemon ice?
How did the women keep it in a constant semi-frozen state in that cooler?
All good questions that I don't know the answer to.
For months I have stared an my reserve quart, a frozen block in my freezer.
When will be the right time to enjoy the last treat? Who is worthy?
Should I save it until my newborn is old enough for a spoon full?
Fortunately due to a recent chain of events I'm not so worried anymore.
It all started about two weeks back when I visited the local 7-11 for a Coke Slurpee, another one of my summertime and hot weather vices.
I was shocked to find out that this location no longer offered Coke as a flavor.
What was I to do? I'm not that much of an addict to go seek out another location, but still I wanted this delicious treat. So after selecting another inferior Slurpee flavor I immediately started thinking...
I have a Ninja at the house and one of the big features marketed for this model was the ability to turn ice into a snow like shaved ice. Maybe I've used it once or twice on mixed drinks in the past, but typically it's on the counter for it's primary function which is baby food.
I knew that Coke poured over shaved ice wasn't going to give me what I was looking for so I took the Coke, shook out some of the carbonation and poured it into an ice cube tray.
Two days later the heat went back up and I tested the DIY Slurpee. I filled my cup with Coke ice cubes and then Coke to get a measure and then dumped it into the Ninja. A couple seconds of pulsing and I had a very palatable homemade Coke Slurpee with a good texture.
Fast forward a week. My daughter decided she didn't want to finish her dinner, time for a bribe.
I had some lemonade in the fridge and the Coke Slurpee fresh on my mind. I threw some regular ice cubes in the Ninja and filled up half as tall as the ice with lemonade.
I pulsed it smooth and poured into a little bowl for my daughter, I took out a spoon and tried some...
Memories came flooding back, the taste, the texture, they were almost perfect, almost Albano's Lemon Ice.
Was it too good to be true? A couple days later I tried again and began to experiment.
I learned it was a variety of factors.
Lemonade - One specific brand has the right flavor profile and sweetness to mimic Albano's, that brand is Simply Lemonade.
Liquid / Ice Ratio - Not enough liquid will give you a thicker more melted sorbet, too much and you'll start out
Equipment - I tried with the Ninja and my high end blender and could only get the results I want from the Ninja in the mixing bowl or tall bowl. The blender couldn't produce the right consistency nor could the Ninja 40oz "food processor" bowl. The two Ninja accessories that worked had the same feature which is multiple tiers of blades at different heights. The blender and "food processor" bowl only had blades at the bottom.
DIY Albano's Market Lemon Ice
- Ninja Masterprep Pro with 16oz Chopper Bowl (48oz pitcher also works)
- Simply Lemonade
- Ice Cube Trays
- Ice Cube
- Plastic Cup
- Fresh Lemon (optional)
- Liquid Sugar - Simple Syrup or Corn Syrup (optional)
1. Freeze your Lemonade into ice cubes
2. Fill your cup with Lemonade ice cubes and 1 regular ice cube
3. Pour lemonade over ice cubes so just a little ice is uncovered (one finger thickness)
4. Put in Ninja Bowl
5. Pulse until almost smooth (you want the real ice cube to have just visible chunks or have just seemed to mix in)
6. Enjoy!
Super authentic upgrade:
3.1. Shave a little fresh lemon zest into the Ninja. Use a course zest, and throw in a lemon seed it will put the finishing touch on your Albano's Market Lemon Ice giving you the little chunks and pieces you always wondered about but accepted to be swimming in your cup.
3.2. Add 1/2tsp of Liquid Sugar per cup. This will up the sweetness and add stickiness.
I may refine this one that special day I break out my last authentic quart by doing a side by side, but for now I'll be sharing my homemade family treat for the rest of the summer.
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