A Nice Cuppa

The sun has been shining lately in my backyard and I can???t stop craving a refreshing drink. I???ve been in the mood for something cool but not too fruity. I made my way to the kitchen and made a fresh tray of coffee cubes. As they were cooling I began to think of refreshing coffee concoctions to add to the repertoire. After a few hours had gone by and as I was enjoying a delicious coffee cube I decided to make a brief list of suggestions that will make your drinks cool in every sense of the word.

Iced Coffee Ice Cubes

I suggest you use an ice tray that is solely used for this purpose since the flavor is strong and can tint the plastic. You should fill the tray(s) with brewed coffee or espresso but I would avoid using any coffee from dark roasted beans. You may also freeze coffee mixed with cream for a lighter color. It looks pretty cool when the ice melts too!

These cubes can be used in any of the following iced beverages, a glass of seltzer or even iced tea.

Sweet Coffee

Iced coffee may be sweetened with any type of sugar. Many prefer to use superfine sugar as it will dissolve faster than most but I recommend using simple syrup. This is done by mixing a cup of granulated sugar with two cups of water and bringing them to a boil. It is stirred well and allowed to cool before using.

The simple syrup will last a long time in the refrigerator and can be served to sweeten iced tea and lemonade as well. If you???re having guests over, you can have some of the syrup served on the side and garnished with some fresh mint leaves. You can add spices to the syrup to make it more complex such as anise seeds, cinnamon, orange peel and juniper berries (my personal favorite to serve with fruit).

Sweet Coffee Variations:

Bubbles
People are very familiar with iced coffee. An interesting and simple variation is to make it with sparkling water. I suggest using espresso.

Spices
You can brew coffee with added spices such as cinnamon, cardamom, allspice and coriander. You must be careful to use these sparingly and to make sure to either use a paper filter or to have a separate filter specifically for this. It is always nice to finish this kind of coffee beverage with some milk or cream to balance the flavors and mouth feel.

Flavorings
Some of my suggestions to bring an iced coffee over the top but subtly include adding flavors such as vanilla extract, caramel syrup, condensed milk, almond/hazelnut extract, mint extract, bitter or dark chocolate sauce, berry syrup and of course any kind of ice cream.

(The following delicious recipe is by Sherri Johns.)

Classic Iced Caffe Mocha

Chocolate Syrup
2 Espressos (may be substituted with double strength coffee)
6 oz. Cold milk
1/2 cup coffee or regular ice cubes
Whipped Cream (optional)

Make doodles on the sides of pint glass with the chocolate syrup. Add espresso and mix thoroughly. Pour cold milk halfway and fill the rest of the glass to the top with ice.

Add whipped cream if desired and swirl with more syrup.

*Note ??? Be careful adding the cream once it???s stirred since it can separate into clumps.