Anybody who has spent time with me knows that I am an iced coffee fiend. It’s a terrible affliction, but it would seem I’m incurable. Our North American obsession for drinking cold coffee (in all it’s different forms) isn’t always shared among all cultures. I lived for years in Spain, and though some specialty coffee shops had caught on to the trend of serving an iced coffee, it simply wasn’t and isn’t the case everywhere. I learned to improvise thanks to a photographer from Madrid. I saw him order his standard café con leche (coffee with frothed milk) with a glass of ice on the side. He stirred his sugar into the hot coffee and then poured it over the ice. It takes some practice to get the hang of it without spilling half your coffee into the saucer, but it fits the bill of an iced coffee (if in miniature form).
This has been my trick for years, much to the annoyance of bartenders across the country. I’m afraid to admit that I’ve taught many people this method, as well. Working as an archaeologist, I spent four field seasons in Navarre. Each season, our students eventually learned the way to order an iced coffee, just as I had. Un café con leche con un vaso de hielo, por favor, was commonly heard during coffee breaks. My sincere apologies for this!
Summer is prime time for iced coffee, so I’ve listed some of my longtime and recent favourites below, but also a new trend that’s been making waves for a few months that I think you can absolutely skip!
1. Frappé
Frappés are my favourite variation of iced coffee. They can be made using various ingredients, but essentially it involves blending coffee with ice, and other optional ingredients.
If you look up the origins of the frappé, you will find that it was invented in Thessaloniki in 1957, and continues to be a popular beverage in Greece. Having drunk frappés (and frappuccinos) for years, I was excited to find during my visit to Athens that frappés could be found everywhere. That was, until I drank one. It wasn’t good. I drank another, from a different location. Still not good. I kept drinking them, and I kept not liking them! How could this be? Finally, I realized that the traditional frappé in Greece is made with instant coffee, and I just don’t like instant coffee. Eventually I learned that when in Greece I needed to order a freddo cappuccino (freddo means cold in Italian), and all was well since it is made with espresso not instant coffee! Problem solved.
Two of my favourite frappés, in case you are in the area, are from Farggi, a Catalan chain that can be found in several Spanish cities (there happened to be one across from my house in Bilbao, hence my frequent visits), and Aroma, an Israeli chain that I visited in Miami Beach (at the recommendation of my friend who has spent many summers in Israel).
The Farggi version was made with coffee ice cream, so I’ve decided to include ice cream in my own recipe. It’s a bit like a cross between a standard frappé and a milkshake. I’m using vanilla since I don’t have coffee ice cream in the house.
150 mL concentrated cold brew coffee (you can use espresso instead)
3 scoops vanilla ice cream (use coffee ice cream if you’ve got it!)
4 ice cubes
Blend ingredients in a blender that can crush ice.
2. Iced Coffee
Lately I’ve been using cold brew for my iced coffees. I know some people don’t like cold brew, so this can certainly be made using regular coffee or espresso as well. The one thing to watch out for with cold brew is to get a concentrated version. I have used Starbucks and Gevalia and they are both good. Many brands that offer a non-concentrated version are a bit watery and the flavour isn’t good, but I do like the Starbucks one. The concentrated cold brew means you need to mix with milk (or water), which I do anyway. I have been trying to minimize refined sugar in my diet except as a special treat, so I’m using sugar alternatives to sweeten my iced coffee. Maple syrup and agave syrup are my preferences (yes, I know it’s still a form of sugar).
Fill your glass 1/4 – 1/3 full with cold brew and mix in one teaspoon of agave syrup (do this first or it is tricky to get the agave to mix in with the coffee). Add ice (I usually use about four ice cubes, but if you want that marbled look you may want to fill your glass to the top with ice). Fill the rest of the glass with milk. Don’t be afraid to add flavours like vanilla extract or cinnamon (just add them at the beginning so they are mixed well).
3. Vanilla Iced Latte
This is really easy if you have a milk frother that has the option for cold milk. Many of them do, but not all. If not, using hot frothed milk is fine, it just melts the ice a bit faster. I make my iced latte essentially the same way as my iced coffee, but for something different I frequently add vanilla extract for extra flavour.
Fill glass 1/4 – 1/3 with concentrated cold brew coffee (espresso or strong coffee are alternatives). Mix in sweetener of choice and a splash of vanilla extract. I use about a teaspoon of agave syrup. If you don’t mind using sugar then I suggest the Torani brand of coffee syrups (they have lots of different flavours to choose from – my favourites are salted caramel and vanilla). Add ice. Froth milk (the frothers usually have a set quantity of milk). Pour frothed milk over coffee and ice.
4. Iced Café Bombón
This is very similar to a Vietnamese iced coffee. The basic ingredients for a café bombón are simple: espresso and sweetened condensed milk. This coffee combination originated in Valencia, but is known all over Spain today. However, don’t expect to find it at all bars. It is always served hot and consists of one shot of espresso and an equal quantity of sweetened condensed milk.
Iced café bombón is something I created on a hot summer’s day in Madrid, sitting on a patio across from the Reina Sofía Museum. I had had the traditional, hot café bombón many times before, and was craving one, but it was sweltering and I wanted something cool to drink. As I had done with café con leche for years, I mixed the café bombón and poured it over a glass of ice. I have never seen anybody else do this with a café bombón, and no doubt people would find it strange, but necessity is the mother of invention, and I needed an iced coffee.
I have made this concoction many times since as it is really quite good. If you don’t like your coffee sweet, then I would warn you against this beverage. Although the normal ratio is 1:1 for the coffee and sweetened condensed milk, I’ve made a slightly less sweet version, but also made it much larger (to fit in my Mason jar). You may want to adjust the recipe to suit your needs!
3 shots espresso (that’s a lot of espresso, I know)
3 tbsp sweetened condensed milk (caffeine and sugar rush combination)
ice
Mix the sweetened condensed milk and espresso in a separate glass and then pour over ice.
5. Affogato
I don’t know if affogato qualifies as iced coffee, but by the time it melts (which happens very quickly in the summer) it is essentially a cold coffee beverage. Affogato means “drowned” in Italian. Basically you drown vanilla ice cream in espresso. Sounds delicious, right? Affogatos are quite typical on dessert menus in Italy, and are typically made with fior di latte ice cream, not vanilla. Again, use what you’ve got!
My most memorable affogato was sitting on a lakefront patio in Bellagio, Lake Como, at Bar Caffé Rossi, while waiting for the Lake Como ferry. It was of course delectable, and Bellagio offers stunning views over the lake with the mountains in the distance. The bar itself has old world charm and makes you think of an apothecary’s shop with the polished wood and glass cabinets brimming with bottles or every sort. Later, I came to discover that McCafé Spain has its own version of affogato… vanilla soft serve drowned in espresso. Not a bad combination.
1 scoop vanilla ice cream
1 shot of espresso
Pour the espresso over the ice cream.
6. Cold Brew with Cream
Last fall in Calgary I tried the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew at Starbucks. I know this makes me basic (I make up for this flaw in other ways), but it was delicious. It’s a seasonal flavour, so it disappeared from the menu (though I think in the US you may be able to get pumpkin spice all year). Next I tried the Cold Brew with Sweet Cream in Tucson. This version was also really tasty. I finally realized the other day I could approximate this drink at home. Again, in most cases I am avoiding sugar, but if that’s not your case you can definitely add vanilla syrup (or any flavoured syrup) to your cream to make this even closer to the Starbucks version.
Fill glass 1/2 – 2/3 full with cold brew (you may or may not want to water it down if using concentrated cold brew). I added about a teaspoon of agave syrup to the coffee. You can add sweetener to the coffee or the cream, as you prefer. Next add ice, but leave a small space for the cream. Top with cream. I used unsweetened whipping cream, but heavy cream will work as well.
Dalgona Coffee (the one to avoid)
I’ve been wanting to try this iced coffee, made popular in South Korea, for months. It shows up consistently on social media and looks amazing! Who could say no to whipped coffee? Well, I finally tried the recipe that made headlines during the 2020 lockdown, and I have to admit, I couldn’t drink the whole thing. I tried, but I couldn’t do it. For me, it was equivalent to the Greek frappé. You just can’t cover up the taste of instant coffee! My advice is, if you are like me and you don’t like instant coffee, this is one to avoid! It looks great, very instagrammable, but the taste doesn’t live up to the aesthetic. By the way, I mixed mine to drink it (mixing it makes the strong taste of instant coffee slightly more palatable, but not really enough). Here are the instructions if you really want to try it for yourself.
2 tbsp instant coffee (has to be instant or it won’t whip up properly)
2 tbsp sugar
2 tbsp hot water
Fill glass 3/4 full with ice and milk. Whip the instant coffee, sugar, and hot water together with a hand beater or mixer. Once the coffee mixture gets thicker and lighter in colour, top the milk with the whipped coffee. Once you have admired your aesthetically pleasing iced coffee, mix to drink.
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First had a frappé in Aegina. Did not know it was invented in Greece. I adore them, instant coffee and all. Perfect on a warm Tucson afternoon!
You might like the Dalgona coffee then!
haha, oh Destiny! We iced coffee lovers are overjoyed to have your endorsement! I love this!!I I can’t wait to try cafe Bombon and the trick of ordering a glass of ice with my cafe! Look out Spain!
Cafe Bombon is so good, definitely sweet though!