Those who know me well probably think I am something of a coffee purist. They are probably right, but these same people also know how much I love slushies, and so we have my secret summer weakness, the blended coffee drink. They have certainly been the object of more than a few Starbucks runs the last few months, and I eventually started experimenting with making them myself. I have begun to appreciate having control over the strength of the coffee, and even more so the amount of sugar. This is a basic recipe that I have nailed down over a few tries, and it certainly lends itself to variations, if that's what you're into. It's a great way to enjoy relaxing outdoors in the warmer months.
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| This blog is not affiliated with the Jacob Leinenkugel Brewing Company. |
Ingredients
- 6 ice cubes
- 1/2 cup espresso or very strong coffee
- 2 tbs half and half
- 2-3 tsp sugar, to taste
Instructions
Prepare the coffee ahead of time and chill in the refrigerator. The coffee needs to be very strong, as the ice dilutes it quite a bit. I use my Vesuviana espresso maker, and it works great for this. A Moka pot would likely also give the strength you need for this. Another option would be to cold brew a long period.
Place the ice cubes in a blender and pulse on "ice crush" until the cubes are pulverized into a snow-like texture. Pour in the coffee and half and half. Add sugar to taste. This will, of course, vary to your liking, but I like about 3 teaspoons for this drink. This is still a lot less sweet than the commercial drinks. Blend to a smooth consistency, which does not take long.
Pour into a glass and serve with a straw. This makes enough to fill a large tumbler, about the same as a can of beer. One thing to watch out for is separation, as the ice will naturally float towards the top. Finely pulverizing the ice seems to mitigate this problem, but I do recommend stirring frequently or drinking it "like a trombone."
Looks and sounds great. May I offer another cold coffee drink called Manhattan Soda, something we learned from a restaurant in Washington DC area just a few weeks ago. The restaurant is in Georgetown and called Farmers, Bakers and Fishers. It is actually owned by the North Dakota Farmers Union to promote the "from farm to fork" concept. It is made of a shot of strong espresso or similarly strong coffee. Next 1.5 TBS to 2 TBS of agave syrup or any syrup or even some sugar to taste. Fill a tall glass with club soda and top with a little aerosol whipped cream or better yet freshly whipped cream. It is a great coffee drink with the soda providing a lighter and more refreshing texture. Great summer drink. The origin is a soft drink company is New York that specializing in chocolate and coffee soda. It is sort of like a "brown cow" which was a classic soda fountain drink with a scoop of ice cream on top of soda and chocolate syrup mixed together. This is more of an adult version of that. Enjoy!
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