How Martha Stewart Turns A Bottle Of Coke Into A Refreshing Summer Treat

We haven't doubted Martha Stewart before, and we're not about to start now. There's a reason why she remains such a trusted voice when it comes to homemaking: after parlaying a successful catering business into a media empire, there simply is nobody we'd rather turn to for help in the kitchen or around the house. (We'd even put up with her beloved onion sandwiches, if she asked.) So when she tells you how to make granita with just a bottle of Coca-Cola, why not listen to her and prepare it for yourself on a hot day?

If you've ever tried to superfreeze a bottle of Coke so that it turns into an instant slushie when you pour it out, this works with kind of the same principle — except much easier. Stewart urges you to simply pour the Coke (she uses a liter bottle) into a container you can put in the freezer. She uses a glass baking dish, but you can use a bowl if that's what you have on hand. Put the container in the freezer, and after half an hour, use a fork to scrape and fluff the frozen Coke mixture. Then, freeze it again and repeat the process until it's nice and soft and delicious-looking. Martha Stewart, being Martha Stewart, puts her granita in a fancy little glass and adds a dollop of whipped cream on top, but you can do whatever you like with it.

Some of you may not have heard of granita, at least not by that name. It's a frozen Italian dessert, similar to Italian ice, but with a different consistency. You see, Italian ice (as with its close relative, sorbet) has a smoother, more solid consistency, while granita has a coarser, slightly crunchier texture due to all those uneven ice crystals.

You might be wondering if these two desserts are related, and indeed they are: Italian ice was inspired by granita, although it wasn't actually made in Italy. Caterina and Giovanni DiCosmo, a married couple from Italy who lived in New Jersey, fondly recalled the granita of the old country and wanted to make something similar. They used an ice cream maker to create their own frozen treats, and the Italian ice as we know it was born. (In 1915, the couple founded their own shop in the nearby town of Metuchen, which still operates to this day.)

While you may not have an ice cream maker, you likely have a freezer — and even if you don't have the means to make classic pistachio-flavored granita (which is very popular in Sicily), you probably have a bottle of Coke kicking around in your fridge. It's a dessert that couldn't be easier to make. So make like Martha Stewart, pour it into a bowl, and start scraping it into a tasty dessert.