Great coffee drinks for the summer

When you think of drinking coffee, chances are you may think of tucking into a lovely warming cup of your favourite blend. While this is always a great way to enjoy coffee, sometimes you might fancy something a little on the cooler side to drink when summer rolls around.

Now cold coffee may sound a little strange but bear with us because we’ve got some truly delicious cold drinks to convince you otherwise. You never know, you may just fall in love with this brand new way to enjoy coffee…

Cold brew coffee

The most basic option when it comes to cold coffee drinks has to be a cold brew coffee. The idea of a cold brew coffee is as it sounds. You simply mix your choice of ground coffee beans with cold water. It is a good idea to use filters whilst making your cold brew, as this will help make sure you have a clean cup of coffee.

You want to make sure that your beans are coarsely ground, and you want to add four parts of cold water to every part of the coffee. We highly recommend mason jars for this as they can easily be covered and put in the fridge.

When your coffee is made, it needs to be placed in the fridge for around 12 hours. This will allow the flavours to develop.

It is up to you to decide what to add to your cold brew coffee. However, we recommend a touch of single cream for a really delicious treat.

Iced lattes

One of the most popular cold coffee drinks has to be an iced latte. Iced lattes are creamy and delicious and still give a coffee hit where it is needed.

You can tailor an iced latte to be precisely what you want it to be. You can add syrups such as vanilla and caramel, which will make it sweeter. If you are making an iced latte, you want to use an espresso coffee, as this type of bean is usually less acidic than the standard beans you may use in a “normal coffee brew”.

You only want a shot of coffee, which is around 40g, and this particular cold coffee can be made in advance.

A great thing about this particular way to enjoy coffee is that you can make an iced latte in any way that you want. You can prepare it with alternatives to milk, such as coconut or almond milk, and they still taste amazing.

Coffee-based smoothies

Another way to enjoy coffee differently is to add it to your favourite smoothie. One of our favourite smoothie mixtures that include coffee is to mix one shot of cold espresso coffee, half a frozen banana, one teaspoon of cinnamon, a pinch of nutmeg, a handful of almonds and some honey.

You can then top it up with the milk that you like the best, making for a delicious treat when the sun is shining, as well as being a somewhat healthy way to enjoy coffee every single day.

You can also add a variety of extras depending on your favourite flavours. Peanut butter is a great addition, and if you are feeling extra indulgent, you could add in some chocolate and make it almost mocha based rather than a standard coffee.

Cold brew lemonade

If you mastered the art of the cold brew, then the good news is that you can take this one step further and create a truly delicious treat. Cold brew lemonade is not such a massive thing in the UK, but in Italy, the idea of mixing coffee flavours with sharp citrus flavours is trendy.

To elevate your already prepared cold brew, you need to mix it with ice and some lemonade. We think that one part cold brew to three parts lemonade works best for this.

Not only is it a delicious twist on the cold brew idea, but it is also great for when you need a natural thirst-quenching drink. We really like the idea of making this in a pitcher, which can then be served up to friends and family, or simply just kept all for you on days when you are feeling particularly thirsty!

A coffee cocktail

Whilst the popular choices will inevitably be creations such as the espresso martini, there are also a variety of coffee-based cocktails out there that you can try out for yourself, such as the ‘Roman Holiday’, ‘Prairie Buzz’ or the ‘Espresso Milk Punch’ – give them a Google!

Not only does this mean that you get to try out some different forms of coffee-based cold drinks, but you can also have fun making them too!

There are so many things to love about coffee; however, one that people always seem to forget is just how versatile it can be as a drink. You can enjoy it hot, or you can transform it into a cold beverage too.

You can add flavours to change it up, or you can just simply enjoy it as it comes. It is entirely down to you.

So, just because the weather may be warmer, that doesn’t mean that you have to give up on your idea of enjoying some coffee. However, it does mean that, next time your new coffee subscription is delivered, you can mix things up and make your favourite drink in an all-new way.