Heat sugar and water in a saucepan over medium heat.
Add large pieces of lemon zest/peal and let mixture come to a boil for 5 minutes.
Turn off heat and allow mixture to cool for 5 minutes.
Add in basil leaves a handful at a time and muddle in until wilted. Then add more a handful at a time until all are incorporated. Muddle the basil well. Let sit 10 minutes.
Taste to make sure basil flavor is coming through. Let it sit longer to intensify the flavor. Then strain liquid through a sieve to filter out basil and lemon peel pieces.
Add lemon juice and stir well.
Pour into a contain you can cover with wrap and freeze. A shallow metal or ceramic tray would work to provide more surface area to freeze faster.
Freeze the granita for 30 to 45 minutes, until it’s just started to freeze on the top and sides of the pan. Fork the granita. Scrape the partially frozen granita with the tines of a fork, breaking up any large chunks. You’ll repeat this step two or three times over the course of freezing.
Freeze again before serving. Return the granita pan to the freezer for a total of 4 hours before serving.
