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Author:
Franco Salzillo
To blend or not to blend, that’s the question. For cold coffee drinks, there are two popular versions, the blended kind and coffee “on the rocks,” so to speak, otherwise known as iced coffee. What’s the difference? They’re entirely different beasts!
Iced coffee waters down slowly, as large ice cubes last longer. Blended coffee waters down faster, so the coffee must be more substantial from the start. That’s the secret right there. Blended coffee is not just coffee and ice in a blender; you must make sure the coffee is strong and sweet enough to make a good cup of blended coffee.
For this recipe, I’m going with espresso because, as I said, you need a strong and intensely flavorful brew. Then you need milk; the creamier, the better. Although I use whole milk, you can also use milk alternatives, including almond and soy milk. They’re often thinner, though.
Then we have the sweetener, and your best bet is getting yourself a bottle of simple syrup. It dissolves better than sugar, and it gives a richer mouthfeel to the coffee as well. If you don’t have simple syrup, make your own, or just add two tablespoons of granulated sugar to the blender, it’s no biggie. Finally, there’s the ice. Fresh ice is critical here; it lasts longer.
Brew the espresso and let it cool down to room temperature. This is important, as hot coffee will melt the ice in the blender in seconds, and you’ll end with a nasty, watered-down drink. Use an ice batch to cool down the coffee.
It’s time to do some blending, so add the ice, coffee, syrup and blend. Don’t over-blend the coffee. You want a nice sharding in the drink and not just water. Blend until frothy, not completely smooth!
And here’s a tip. Sweeten thecoffee and taste it before adding it to the blender. It should be intense and overly sweet. It will water down when blended. If not sweet enough, add more syrup. It’s hard to adjust the sweetness once you’ve blended the drink with ice.
Brew the espresso and let it cool to room temperature in an ice bath.
Pour the espresso into a blender with the ice, milk and simple syrup.
Blend until smooth and pour into two glasses.
Garnish with cinnamon powder.
