Cold Brew & Lollipops

I love an iced coffee, and I am here to tell you that I think it tastes better made with cold-brew.

When I was little, my brother thought it was amusing to convince me that coffee was the best flavour chocolate in the box, purely because they were the only ones he didn’t like. It obviously stuck as now I love all the coffee flavoured things, even though I hardly ever drink the hot beverage.

Cold-brew is really not as hipster as it sounds. It’s only coffee steeped in water overnight then filtered. The process supposedly draws out different flavour compounds to a standard hot-brewed coffee leaving you with a sweeter, smoother flavour and less bitterness. 

When it’s sunny I keep a jug full in the fridge, and to make an iced latte I just whisk in milk or cream. Making some into coffee ice cubes is a good way to get a super-cold, undiluted coffee hit.

My favourite things though are latte lollies. Sweetened with condensed milk, like a Vietnamese coffee, they manage to be creamy and refreshing at the same time. The ones I made here are made with a contrasting Americano layer for a jazzy two-tone effect. 

Alternatively, if you are up for a cocktail, cold-brew makes an excellent espresso martini. Just take 1 measure of undiluted coffee with 1 measure of vodka and 1 measure of coffee liqueur and shake it all up in a cocktail shaker with lots of ice.

Very drinkable. Totally moreish. Thank me later.

Cold Brew Ingredients

110g Coffee Beans (or very coarsely ground coffee)

1 litre cold water

Iced Latte

Cold Brew

Water

Milk or Cream

Sugar to taste – or condensed milk 

• Roughly grind the coffee beans to the texture of grit…or cous cous, not too fine.
• Pour over 1 litre of water and stir
• Cover and chill in the fridge for 12-14 hours
• Sieve out the coffee grains then filter through a piece of muslin 2-3 times
• Can be kept covered in the fridge for a week or two, for instant iced coffees
• Dilute with water or milk for iced coffee
• Whisk in sugar or condensed milk to sweeten

Cold Brew Lollipops 

525ml Cold Brew

150ml Condensed Milk

Caster Sugar (if making them two-tone)

Water

• Mix 350ml or cold brew with 170ml of water and 150ml of condensed milk.
• Pour into a lolly mould and freeze over night
• For two-tone lollies, fill 3/4 of the mould – freeze for 2 hours
• Mix 175 cold brew and 80ml of water with 3 tsp caster sugar until dissolved 
• Use this mix to top up the moulds

Cold Brew Espresso Martini

Half fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add:

• 1 measure undiluted cold brew coffee
• 1 measure of vodka
• 1 measure of coffee liqueur

Shake well, strain and serve.