Bring Out Your Inner Brrrr-rista

Since letting y’all know about the Second Cup Summer Drink Festival last week, I hope you’ve had a chance to try out the NEW Frozen Lemonade and NEW Black Cherry Smoothie! I mean, let’s put it in perspective… you’ve got one drink that is crisp, clean and refreshing; with a light and tangy real lemonade flavour – and another that is made with real black cherry fruit puree (and everyone knows that cherries are the BEST fruit on earth). Super yum!

All summer long, Second Cup will feature one of five icy beverages – Chillatte, Matcha Green Tea Frappé, Frrrozen White Hot Chocolate or the above-mentioned Frozen Lemonade and Black Cherry Smoothie – at a special price, but for those of you who want to take this tasty trend home, the experts at Second Cup offer the following iced coffee recipes and tips to help you bring out your inner brrrr-rista.

Iced Latte: Fill a tall glass 2/3 full with ice. Prepare a fresh double shot of espresso, and simply pour over ice. Top up glass with dairy of your choice; stir and serve. Barrista Tips:

– Espresso should be used immediately after preparation.
– Stir chocolate syrup into the espresso shot before pouring over ice to make your Iced Latte an Iced Mocca.
– For a healthier choice, switch your milk to skim.

If your Iced Latte is too milky, add an additional shot of espresso. Most people switch to large glasses when preparing iced drinks, and if your standard espresso shot is 2oz, and then you add both ice and milk to the espresso, you’ll naturally end up with a latte that is very milky.

To get sugar to dissolve completely in an Iced Latte, put the sugar into your espresso cup/pitcher before you drop your espresso shot, then stir it together after you’ve produced your shot. This will dissolve the sugar entirely before you pour the espresso over your ice.

If you’re an Iced Latte lover, visit Second Cup for Latte Tuesdays throughout the summer, where customers can enjoy any iced or hot latte for a special price! 

Homemade Iced Coffee: Using your current home brewing equipment, simply brew a pot of fresh coffee using 2 tablespoons of ground coffee per cup. Transfer the hot coffee to a carafe or pitcher. Refrigerate the coffee until cold, about 2-3 hours. Next, fill a tall glass with ice cubes. Stir the pitcher of cold coffee and pour the chilled coffee into the glass. If you want, you can add milk, sugar, non-sugar sweetener or simple syrup to your taste. Stir and enjoy! Barrista Tips:

– Darker roast coffees tend to make a more intensely flavoured iced coffee with good depth and sweetness
– Consider freezing coffee in ice-cube trays to add boldness and really enhance your iced coffee experience
– Make a simple syrup using sugar and hot water to sweeten the iced coffee (much easier to dissolve than granulated sugar)
– For a decadent, dessert-like treat, add sweetened condensed milk to your iced coffee

Only make as much iced coffee as you plan to drink in the day. Over time the coffee particles will settle in the bottom of your pitcher and you will notice a change in flavour (and you may even be able to taste the gritty coffee grounds). No bueno! This is definitely not a beverage to make in bulk.

Remember: I’ve got a COOL Second Cup prize pack valued at $200 up for grabs! Enter here!