Festive-themed iced coffee recipes to keep the heat at bay
I remember the first time I had an iced coffee. It was December and I was working at a retail store and the air conditioner wasn't working. I had a headache and realised it was too hot to have hot coffee.
I walked into my local coffee shop and asked if they could make me a cold coffee. "Would you like a frosted cappuccino," the barista asked. The only question I wanted answered was: "Is it nice?" He said, "You'll come back for more."
More than 14 years later, frosted cappuccino has become my iced coffee beverage of choice. I remember when everyone was trying out dalgona coffee recipes during the height of the pandemic last year and while it was fun, it didn't impress me much.
Now, I am not saying it's basic, but not all ice coffees are equal. There's something about the decadence of frappés that just makes everything okay.
Unlike hot coffee, iced coffee needs some specialised tools for it to be a success. Sure, you can make coffee, then add milk and ice, and cold brew is great, but sometimes you need a special blender or coffee machine to make the good stuff that's sold in the coffee shops and make it at home yourself.
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In order to get it right, we asked baristas at Durban’s Thirst Bar Services and Issa Sheik, the owner of Windemere’s Roast Lab, who gave us great iced coffee and frappés recipes that will be festive for the decadence of the festive season.
They used coffee from the Starbucks At Home Holiday Blend, and they are so easy, you can make them yourself at home. Calories be damned! It is time to feast.
Plus they are perfect for drinking in the car on your way to do your last-minute shopping.
Toffee Nut Frozen Latte
Glass: Tall Highball Glass
Ingredients
1 Starbucks at Home Toffee Nut Latte Sachet
180ml hot water
4 scoops vanilla ice cream
1 cup cubed ice
Method
Pour sachet of toffee nut latte into a cup.
Add 180ml of hot water and stir well.
Pour the mixed ingredients into a bullet blender, add scoops of vanilla ice cream and blend.
Garnish: Coat the glass in toffee sauce and sprinkle with chocolate hundreds and thousands.
Holiday Blend Mudslide
Glass: Large Wine Glass
Ingredients:
1 shot Starbucks at Home Holiday Blend capsule
2 scoops vanilla ice cream
10ml hazelnut syrup
10ml Cinnamon Syrup
Whipped cream
Method
Using a holiday blend capsule pour a single serve, using a Dolce Gusto machine. Then add the single serve to a blender along with the rest of the ingredients.
Garnish: Coat the glass in chocolate sauce and garnish with whipped cream.
Iced Toffee Nut Latte
Glass: 300ml glass of choice
Ingredients
60ml O Roast Lab Rwanda Coffee Ground
100ml milk
8 ice cubes
Topping:
200ml pasteurised cCream
1 sachet Starbucks At Home Holiday Blend Toffee Nut
Toffee Sauce
Toffee Pieces
Method
Prepare O Roast Lab Coffee in your plunger.
Whisk cream Toffee Nut Sachet together until stiff peaks form.
Place ice, milk and coffee in your blender.
Blend for 30 seconds or until smooth.
Pour into your glass, leave 3cm for your topping.
Spoon/pipe your cream topping into the glass.
Drizzle with toffee sauce, add toffee pieces and enjoy.