About this time of year, it gets hot in the eCool compound. As we sweat in front of our computers, putting together the very entries that keep you apprised of all that’s hip and happening in Rome, we get pretty darn thirsty and so we’re always on the lookout for a cool and refreshing treat we can break out when happy hour comes along — something that will lower our body temperatures, and, perhaps, alter our state of being.
After trying out an entire range of icy alcoholic treats year, including a Mirto-Blueberry granita, a Campari-Grapefruit granita, and a much-celebrated Coffee Granita with Bailey’s Irish Cream, this year we’re on to something new.
We’ve always loved sipping on Italy’s iconic soda, the Tassoni Cedrata (see image below). From it’s fabulous chartreuse hue to its delicate cedrata flavor, this carbonated beverage is the one most often found in the eCool refrigerator. A Wikipedia entry on Tassoni tells us that the soda reached the height of its popularity in the 1970s, and that it’s famed taste is rivaled only by the popularity of its 15-second television commercial which has been running since 1986 and therefore is the second longest running publicity “spot” on Italian television.
But we’ve digressed and left you wondering how to make a granita di Tassoni and vodka, haven’t we? Here’s the skinny:
We started by pouring four beautiful bottles of Tassoni (they’re about 8 oz each) into a bowl. To that we added about 3/4 a cup of vodka and a squeeze of fresh lime juice. (At this point we had to stop ourselves from drinking this delicious mixture).
We poured the liquid into a shallow dish and placed it in the freezer and then spent a pleasurable and refreshing afternoon opening the freezer to stir the mixture every half hour until the liquid froze into ice crystals.
Make it. You’ll be happy.
