7 Summer Coffee Recipes to Keep You Refreshed and Energized

With summer right around the corner, coffee enthusiasts are beginning to think about the ideal summer coffee drinks. But not just any coffee will do on a hot summer day. Cold brew coffee and iced coffee are the best ways to beat the summer heat.

While coffee shops are wonderful in their own right, it’s always fun to become a barista for a day and make seasonal drinks at home. We’ve rounded up some coffee recipes perfect for summertime!

The Coffee Part

Of course, coffee is our cornerstone ingredient. There are cold coffee options to satisfy every palate:

• Iced coffee: brewed coffee served chilled.
• Icedespresso: a shot or two of espresso poured over ice. The serving size is smaller than that of an iced coffee because of the caffeine content of espresso shots.
• Iced latte:frothed milk poured into a glass of iced espresso.
• Nitro:cold brew coffee infused with nitrogen to give it a foam head, like a draft beer.
• Blended: espresso blended with milk and sweeteners. The most popular example is a frappuccino.
• Cold brew: coffee grounds steeped in cold water for 12-48 hours

How to Make Cold Brew:

Ingredients:

• ⅓ cup of coarsely ground coffee
• 1⅔ cups of filtered water

Instructions:

1. Grind coffee beans on a medium course setting
2. Pour grounds into a mason jar (we prefer coffee bags to eliminate the straining step)
3. Pour water over grounds and stir for 10 seconds
4. Place jar in the refrigerator for 12 to 24 hours
5. Strain coffee grounds from the jar using a cheesecloth

Pro Tip: Make Coffee Ice Cubes

Enjoying anything cold during the summer becomes a race against the clock. No one wants to deal with the mess of a melted frozen treat or worse, diluted coffee.

Enter coffee ice cubes. They keep your coffee cold and concentrated even as the sun continues to blaze. Simply fill an ice cube tray with your favorite brewed coffee and pop it in the freezer for a couple of hours. Voila! No more weird floating water in your coffee.

Now that we’ve covered the main ingredient, let’s get on to the recipes!

1. Tonic Cold Brew

If coffee and soda had a baby, it would be tonic cold brew. This may be the most refreshing of all of the cold coffee drinks. Our mouths love the tingly sensation of carbonation.

The quinine in the tonic water can add bitterness, so we suggest adding simple syrup to offset it. If sugar isn’t your thing, add a lemon wedge or an orange slice to highlight the fruity flavor profiles in your coffee.

Ingredients:

• 8oz tonic water
• 4oz cold brew
• Simple syrup to taste
• Ice

Instructions:

1. Add tonic water to a glass filled with ice
2. Pour in cold brew
3. Add simple syrup
4. Gently stir (strive for incorporation without disturbing the bubbles)

2. Iced Mocha 

*not for the faint of heart*

Ingredients:

• 4oz cup of coffee
• 4oz cup of milk
• ½ tsp cocoa powder
• A generous dollop of hot fudge sauce
• Crushed ice

Instructions:

1. In a pan, whisk milk, hot fudge sauce, and cocoa powder until smooth
2. Set aside and allow the mixture to cool
3. Pour coffee into a glass filled with crushed ice
4. Add chocolate and milk mixture
5. Stir until incorporated
6. Top with whipped cream
7. Garnish with a sprinkle of cocoa powder and a drizzle of chocolate syrup

You could grind up some chocolate chips to add some texture. This frosted treat will keep you cool in the summer sun.

3. Dalgona

Dalgona is a whipped coffee recently made popular by Tiktok. The name comes from a South Korean coffee candy made of honeycomb toffee. Dalgona can make a decadent coffee dessert if you add flavored syrup like vanilla, white chocolate, or maple. 

Note:you might be tempted to grind your favorite coffee beans to use in place of instant coffee. Don’t!Instant coffee is the secret ingredient that helps the coffee whip better.

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp of instant coffee
• 2 tbsp of granulated sugar (white is best, but brown or coconut sugar works as well)
• 2 tbsp of boiling water
• 8oz milk (almond milk or coconut milk work just fine)
• Ice

Instructions:

1. Add dry ingredients in a heat-safe bowl
2. Add water
3. Whisk by hand or use a mixer to whip ingredients for 2-5 minutes
4. Pour milk over ice in a mason jar
5. Plop a large dollop of Dalgona on top of iced milk

If you’re worried about a major mustache made out of the coffee foam, go ahead and stir the foam into the icy milk.

4. Affogato

Affogato is an Italian coffee dessert. Its literal translation is “drowned.” The goal is to drown a scoop of ice cream in espresso.

Ingredients:

• 1 scoop of vanilla ice cream 
• 1 shot of espresso (1.5oz)

Instructions:

1. Pour espresso over ice cream 

You can kick it up a notch by trying different flavors of ice cream or even gelato and find your favorite flavor combination.  Espresso over salted caramel gelato? Yes, please!

After an affogato, you may be tempted to take it a step further by blending coffee into a milkshake. Simply toss the same ingredients into a blender. (You may need to add a splash of milk.)

5. Turmeric Latte

If you enjoy turmeric coffee, you might like to try it in iced latte form. Don’t neglect the pinch of pepper! It may seem like an odd ingredient, but it punches up the flavor nicely.

Ingredients:

• 12oz of the nut milk of your choice
• 1.5oz espresso
• 1 tsp of ground turmeric
• ¼ tsp of ground ginger
• ¼ tsp of ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp of vanilla extract
• ⅛ tsp of cardamom 
• ⅛ tsp of pepper
• Ice cubes
• Honey to sweeten (this ingredient is optional)

Instructions:

1. Put all ingredients into a cocktail shaker
2. Shake until slightly frothy
3. Pour over ice and enjoy

Fun Fact: Turmeric is considered a superfood as it’s been linked to a number of health benefits, such as reducing inflammation, lowering the risk of heart disease, and relieving pain.

6. Iced Pumpkin Spice Cappuccino

Can’t wait for fall to get your PSL on? We’ve got you covered.

Ingredients:

• 1.5oz espresso (or try our pumpkin spice gold coffee and skip the additional spice)
• 2oz steamed milk
• ½ tsp of pumpkin pie spice

Instructions:

1. Pour espresso over ice
2. Add pumpkin spices 
3. Heat milk on stovetop and froth (by whisking, using a handheld frother, or a french press)
4. Pour frothed milk over spiced espresso mixture

9. Irish Coffee

Irish coffee is a classic coffee cocktail. Though it can be served over ice, there are those occasional crisp summer evenings that would be ideal for a warm coffee drink. Take advantage of the cool reprieve by heading outside, lighting up the fire pit, and enjoying this semi-sweet treat.

 S’mores would pair nicely with Irish coffee by bringing out its sweet notes. Plus, if the fire is already going, why not?

Ingredients:

• 1.5oz Irish whisky
• 8oz strong coffee
• 1 tbsp of brown sugar
• Heavy cream to taste

Instructions:

1. Pour freshly brewed hot coffee into a footed mug
2. Mix in brown sugar
3. Add Irish whisky
4. Incorporate heavy cream

There you have it! That’s our summer recipe roundup! Try our vanilla coconut coffee if you’re looking for a summer flavor without the extra steps.