Summer’s come around and even though you love coffee, hot coffee gets you sweaty, hot and turns into a completely unbearable experience. You need something else, something refreshing to beat the heat.
Well, one of the coolest (pun intended) recipes right now is the fresh mint iced coffee. It might seem very obvious at first, but it’s actually a sophisticated recipe.
It isn’t as simple as throwing a couple of mint leaves on top of an iced coffee as garnish. No; anybody could do that. The fresh mint iced coffee is a proper, respected recipe in the world of coffee and it takes more than just an improvised move like that.
Fresh Mint Syrup
The key ingredient in this recipe is mint syrup. Syrups are your best friend whenever you’re making coffee. Starbucks uses them and most coffee shops use them because they are very convenient.
A syrup condenses all the flavor of one ingredient into a liquid form that is very easy to mix with our coffee. Plus, because syrup is thick, it makes the texture of our coffee creamy and just delicious.
So today we’re going to focus primarily on making this delicious mint syrup, which is the main ingredient in the fresh mint iced coffee.
How to Make Mint Syrup?
Ingredients
- 200ml water
- 100 grams white sugar
- ½ cup of fresh mint leaves, roughly chopped
Instructions
- In a saucepan, bring the water to a boil.
- Turn the heat down slightly and immediately add sugar.
- Stir constantly in a circular motion for a few seconds.
- Add mint leaves and keep stirring.
- Let simmer for about twenty minutes.
- Once done, discard mint leaves and store syrup in a sealed bottle
See? It was actually quite easy! Now we can use this mint syrup for all sorts of things! To make desserts. To top pancakes and waffles… Milkshakes… And of course, to make fresh mint iced coffee!
How to Make Fresh Mint Iced Coffee?
Now that we’ve got our mint syrup, that’s about half of the work done. Let’s roll up our sleeves and make one of the tastiest coffees we’ve ever made in our lives.
This recipe can actually be made using both regular coffee or cold brew, to avoid using a lot of ice. Cold brew concentrate can be purchased in stores or online, and it’s simply a thicker, stronger version of your regular cold brew. You can also make it at home, quite easily, by using the same amount of coffee as water. Let it brew for 24 hours and you’ve got a pretty strong, syrupy coffee.
Ingredients
- 200ml coffee or 100ml cold brew concentrate.
- Fresh mint leaves for garnish
- Mint syrup to taste
- 100ml milk or condensed milk
- Ice cubes
Instructions
- Brew your coffee and set it apart to cool down.
- In a tall glass, add ice.
- Pour coffee and drizzle with mint syrup.
- Pour condensed milk slowly over the whole glass.
- Once the coffee has cooled down, pour.
- Add more syrup, and stir.
- Add a few mint leaves as garnish.
- Enjoy!
As you can see, it’s quite easy to make. The only thing is that it requires a little bit of preparation as in making the mint syrup beforehand. But even this doesn’t take longer than, say, a few minutes. All in all you should be done in around ten minutes with this whole thing.
You can also add chocolate syrup for a sweeter flavor!
FAQs
Can I use peppermint instead of mint?
Some people might think it’s okay or that mint and peppermint are interchangeable, but that isn’t really the case.
Peppermint has a different flavor which is actually stronger than mint. Mint has a more subtle flavor that won’t feel overwhelming whenever it is made into syrup; peppermint, on the other hand, isn’t quite as forgiving or subtle as mint.
That isn’t to say that you can’t make peppermint tea; you can, but it doesn’t go as well with this recipe as mint syrup.
What kind of coffee should I use?
The best approach to this recipe would be to search for a blend that is not strong but actually light in flavor, fruity. Central American coffee is a very good bet for such a flavor profile and most Central American blends will go great with this recipe.
Also, it’s better to stick with a light roast. This recipe is also about subtleties and not about strong flavor, but about the combination of different flavors. It’s a different experience.
Therefore, you don’t want a dark roast that overpowers the other ingredients and actually ruins the whole drink—better to go with a blonde or light roast that lets you appreciate the rest of the ingredients in their whole beauty.
Can I use plant based milk?
We mention for this recipe that condensed milk is the best option. Condensed milk is a very popular ingredient for iced coffee because it is thick and creamy and offsets the ice diluting and watering down the coffee.
However, that doesn’t mean that you can’t make a vegan beverage. There are alternatives to condensed milk—coffee cream exists and comes canned. You can also buy canned coffee milk and let it freeze overnight; when you open it, the water and cream will have separated. Use the cream and discard the water!
There are also vegetable condensed milk options which are made using a special type of vegetable fat. These are also a good option and provide the exact texture of condensed milk. As for the flavor… it tends not to be as good as regular condensed milk. But it’s still good!
Can I use store-bought mint syrup?
Yes, you can. But store bought mint syrup is a little unpredictable; some of them might be a little too strong in flavor, while some of them can be unbearably sweet.
This is why we provide a recipe to make it at home, where you have absolute control over the flavor and therefore can avoid spending money on something that you might not like at all.