Iced coffee is a caffeine-filled drink served cold and often sweet. In recent years, it has almost become a trend to drink iced coffee, especially on a hot day. There are so many places to buy them from, including at your local grocery store. But did you know, you can make the perfect iced coffee right at home?
Ok, so you might have already tried to make iced coffee at home and then poured it away because it wasn’t the same. But if you follow this recipe, you will discover a new favorite drink that you don’t have to spend $5 on every time you want one.
The best part about iced coffee is you can customize it and change the flavor by adding syrups, creams, sugars, and other ingredients. After all, iced coffees are not really about the intense coffee flavor, but more the caffeine kick.
What Makes Iced Coffee Special?
Iced coffee is a very refreshing and sweet-tasting drink for a hot day. It is a good option for those who live in hot states or countries as a way of enjoying caffeine/coffee without drinking a hot beverage.
How Do You Make the Best Iced Coffee?
When it comes to creating the perfect coffee, not only do you need the right preparation, but you should also do the process step by step. If you mix things around or try to take shortcuts, you will end up with a drastic change in flavor, and it will likely ruin the experience of making iced coffee at home.
Iced Coffee Recipe
Equipment
- Glass
- Coffee Maker
- Spoon
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup Ice
- 1 Cup Brewed Coffee
- 1 Cup Half and Half
- 1 Tsp Vanilla Extract
Instructions
- Pour your ice into the tall glass. Lightly swirl the ice inside the glass.
- Pour the cooled-down brewed coffee over your iced-filled glass
- Add your half-and-half into the glass and stir the drink properly until you get that even mix.
- Add in your vanilla extract or preffered syrup for a sweeter drink.
Which is the Best Coffee to Use, Brewed Coffee or Espresso?
The best coffee to use with an iced coffee is an espresso. If you don’t want to taste coffee as much, opt for a brewing method like the French press that has higher water to coffee ratio.
The first thing to consider is what kind of coffee drinker are you. Are you the kind of coffee drinker who wants a strong caffeine kick, or are you the kind who prefers the milder coffee strength, one that is a perfect blend of waking your senses without a strong taste?
If you prefer to get a strong kick of coffee and enjoy the taste, then the best and most obvious option for you is using espresso shots for your iced coffee. Not only does this give a strong kick, but espresso shots also don’t take a lot of time to blend with the cold drink right away.
If you would rather have a watered-down coffee, then it’s only fitting for you to use brewed coffee. It does the job of what an average coffee should do to you. The only trouble when using brewed coffee is that you have to wait for the freshly brewed coffee to cool down before you start making iced coffee.
The Key to Making Your Iced Coffee Perfect is Ice
Another important part of making iced coffee is of course Ice! We know it sounds obvious, but it’s surprising how commonly people add too much ice that waters down the drink and too little ice where the drink is not even cold. Even the size can have a big difference on your drink.
The most common size to use is medium. However, if you want the ice to melt slower, then use bigger cubes. If you want to go for more of a slushee iced coffee, then opt for crushed ice in your drink.
To make things even more interesting, instead of using plain water for the ice, you can also do coffee ice instead. All you need to do is brew a cup ahead of time, let it cool down and when it’s cooled, pour it over an ice tray and freeze it. This way, instead of watering down your drink, you will continue to enjoy a coffee taste throughout.
Use Simple Syrup for a Sweeter Iced Coffee
You don’t have to go out and spend $20 on syrups to make your drink sweet. It’s actually very easy to create a simple syrup at home, and it can add sweetness to your bitter drink. Be careful how much you add to your coffee, as you don’t want to overpower it with sugar.
To make a simple sugar, here’s what you need:
- 1 cup Water
- 1 cup Sugar
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Extract (optional)
- Jar with a tight seal
Instructions
All you need to do is boil 1 cup water and 1 cup sugar. Stir the sugar until it’s completely melted. Pour some vanilla extract into the mixture. After everything is blended completely, set it aside to cool. Pour the simple sugar into the jar and refrigerate it for at least an hour.
The Final Sip
Feel free to play around with the recipe and add different ingredients to alter the taste. Try adding half and half, cream, different flavored syrups, and anything else you want to try. Remember that coffee beans can also alter the flavor of your drink.
Let us know your best iced coffee recipe in the comments below!
