What better way to quench your hot summer day thirst with a jar of iced cold brew and tonic! I’m using a Kenyan SL28 coffee for this recipe, but feel free to experiment and try different flavour combinations.

Firstly, we need cold brew! I’ve started to experiment with cold brew recently and decided to adapt Adam’s “Think Different” – (hot) Cold Brew recipe, specifically using the heat element of the recipe. Similarly to blooming a pour-over coffee, I liked the idea of using hot water to wet the coffee grinds before adding cold water. Alternatively to making your own cold brew, you could obviously buy a good quality cold brew from your local cafe or shop, such as Sandows. This option is good for spontaneous BBQs too 🙂

60g coffee : 600ml water

Cold Brew Recipe:

• Bring 200ml of water to boil. Allow to cool for a moment until you’ve prepared the rest of the equipment.
• Make sure your jar or storage tank is completely cleaned. Use hot water and soap to disinfect any bacteria as you’ll be storing your coffee in there for 16-24hrs. I used a cocktail shaker that could be completely sealed up and left in the fridge overnight.
• Coarsely grind 60g beans and add the ground coffee to your storage tank. Fill with 200ml of hot water and stir so that your coffee is completely wet. I find this process is similar to blooming and you’ll see some gases escape the ground coffee. Leave to sit for a moment (up to about 45s) and add 400ml cold water. Stir once more.
• Store in a fridge for up to 24hrs.
• Drain over a V60 or other filter paper. I find that this process can take a long time if you stirred the coffee-water sludge a lot. I’ve experimented with stirring a minimal amount and stirring every few hours. I’ve not concluded what I prefer…

75ml cold brew : 75ml tonic water

Cold Brew Tonic Water Recipe:

• Half-fill a cocktail jar or glass with ice cubes.
• Squeeze in half a lime (or quarter if you’re using a small glass).
• Pour in a 50:50 mix of cold brew and tonic water. I pour cold brew first, then top up with tonic water.
• Garnish with mint and lime. If you’re creating a pitcher, you can add lime wedges and mint straight into a jug and just strain as you’re pouring.

Enjoy! This is a really refreshing drink that would fit in perfectly for an outdoor BBQ, or just sitting on your balcony on a hot summer day. I’ll be experimenting with different recipes so stay tuned for more to follow.