Looking for a quick pick-me-up on a flatteningly hot Florida day? Why not combine the best of both worlds: cold and caffeinated?

Sure, you could go to your neighborhood coffee shop and enjoy a nice, iced beverage. I do that all the time. The drinks are good, the barista’s friendly (or entertainingly sullen), the view beats my own back yard at times, and $3 is cheap rent to pay for a space where I can enjoy hours of people-watching, studying, or chatting amiably with friends.

But sometimes ya don’t feel like going out or have a very good reason to stay in (see: girlfriend, couch, movie rental, hot summer day). In those cases, it would behoove you to prepare a smashingly brilliant coffee drink at home.

Enter: The Elephant (or coffee) Granita. Equal parts cold, slush, sweet, and coffee, the Elephant Granita is probably named after its gorgeous grey color. And it’s sure to wow your friends and put a big ‘ole smile on your face. If, like me, you avoid alcohol and other substances that induce regret, amnesia, and wretched hangovers, the Elephant Granita is the closest thing you’re gonna get to a still-legal, mind-altering kick-in-the-pants.

So how does one *do*?

First brew some fresh coffee Iced coffee granita recipe: A summer pick me up. Use organic and fair-trade and you can’t go wrong. If they care enough to spend more time and money growing it right, chances are it’s gonna taste pretty darn good, too. Alternately, you could go the espresso route for some real kick. See last week’s post for Espresso A-B-C.

Sweeten it to taste *now*, while the coffee is hot and your sweetener will melt properly. I like a raw, demerera, turbinado, or evaporated cane juice sweetener myself, like Florida Crystals Iced coffee granita recipe: A summer pick me up.

Then, get out the blender. If a blender ye have not, then go back to square one and enjoy a nice iced coffee drink- you can use all the ingredients in the recipe that follows, but you won’t get the Elephant Granita consistency.

Pour your coffee into the blender — if you had the foresight to make it in advance and refrigerate it, so much the better– it won’t melt the frozen components in the drink. If you made it now, and want it now, do a quick chill in the freezer for 10 minutes to take the heat off. You can wait ten minutes.

Then, add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla extract — you can add more to taste if you like. Add 1/3 the amount of coffee’s worth in milk beverage (almond milk, soy milk, cow’s milk, etc. whatever you prefer). So, for example, let’s say you’ve brewed 1 cup of coffee; add 1/3 cup of milk or cream to the batch. Again, you can always add more to taste. Similarly, you could spike it with a 1/2 teaspoon of almond, hazelnut, caramel, or other flavor extract or syrup if you so desire. Brands like Torani Iced coffee granita recipe: A summer pick me up make coffee-specific flavoring syrups, or you could simply use baker’s extracts available in any grocery store.

NOW…. for the fun part. Add either ice, or coffee ice cubes, in abundance and blend like crazy. Yes, I said “coffee ice cubes.” After reading this, you got motivated, and grabbed this morning’s leftover coffee and started freezing it in ice cube trays. Now you have a radically powerful, undiluted coffee beverage. Coffee cubes work great in just plain ‘ole iced coffee drinks, too. I learned this trick ten years ago while working in a cafe in Berkeley and have never forgotten it.

What’s left?

Pure enjoyment. Sit back, relax, and drink your Elephant Granita. It’s cold, it’s good, it’s summer in Florida.

When Ian Finn is not sipping Elephant Granitas, he’s busy writing cookbooks about Elephant Granitas.

This article appears in May 6-12, 2009.