There are a few things that hit just right during summer; iced coffee is one of them. Taking a sip from your travel mug of hot coffee just isn’t the same when the sun is beating down on your neck. Instead of opting for an iced coffee from your local Starbucks, why not get to brewin’ at home?
Read on to learn about a few secrets we’ve been holding on to about making the perfect iced coffee. Don’t worry, it’s not overly complicated. When it comes down to creating your chilled masterpiece, you need to cover your basics with a few tricks mixed in.
Creating the Perfect Iced Coffee
To start off, you’re going to want to gather your supplies:
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup coffee, at room temperature
- 2 tablespoons half and half*, or more, to taste
- High-quality coffee beans
Now that you’ve got everything set up for the perfect iced coffee, it’s time to start planning. The coffee beans come first. Here’s the first secret – you’ll want to make sure you brew your joe the evening before and let it sit overnight. By the time morning comes around, your coffee will be ready for chilled perfection.
You’re also going to want to prepare a batch of simple syrup for the next day as well. Simple syrup is a major key to the perfect iced coffee. Sure, cane sugar does the trick – but today we’re talking about PERFECTION.
Not exactly sure how to make simple syrup? We turned to our friends over at damndelicious.net to give everyone a simple solution for their first batch. “To make the simple syrup, combine sugar and 1 cup water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Let cool completely and stir in vanilla extract; set aside.”
With all your supplies together and after a little patience, it’s time for the fun part!
Take your settled coffee, splash in a few extra iced cubes with a dash of half-and-half, and don’t forget to pour in that freshly made simple syrup. You’re ready to go! Enjoy that perfect iced coffee, cheers.
(For more coffee recipes like this one, make sure you check out our coffee blog!)
