The iced Americano is one of my go-to drink orders, especially when looking for an espresso to enjoy black. Made with just ice, cold water, and espresso, the iced Americano is a drink for true espresso lovers. While you can jazz it up with cream or sugar, it’s strong, delicious, and bold.
But don’t let the simple nature of this drink fool you into thinking the drink is easy to make. Although the steps are simple, the taste of your iced Americano depends entirely on the quality of your espresso shot. Here’s what you need to know to make the best iced Americano.
How to make an iced Americano
According to Mike Jones, a Barista at Third Rail Coffee in Washington Square in New York City, the process of making an iced americano is almost identical to making a traditional hot Americano. One important part of making this coffee beverage is to pour the hot espresso into the cold water before pouring it over the ice. This step helps to preserve the crema from the espresso by adding ice last. Pouring hot espresso directly over the ice before mixing with cold water ultimately will lead to watered-down ice and a less-than-ideal-tasting iced Americano.
Here’s the basic method of how to make an iced Americano:
Ingredients
- Espresso
- Cold water
- Ice
Method
- Pull your espresso shot into a small cup and transfer it into cold water.
- Add the ice as desired.
- Mix, swirl, and enjoy.
Tips to improve iced Americano taste
Again, the process of making an iced Americano seems simple. But it’s taken me several years of trial and error to determine why I could never quite make the drink as delicious as from the cafe. If your iced Americano isn’t quite tasting perfect, consider the following tips:
The quality of the espresso used
Espresso is the heart and soul of your iced Americano. Without good quality espresso, your iced Americano may taste bitter or weak. Using high-quality dark roast coffee beans to brew your espresso can start your drink immediately. Over-extraction of your espresso shot can leave your iced Americano with a slightly burnt taste, which happens from brewing the espresso too long.
The iced Americano can also be crafted with decaf espresso shots or made into a “half-caff” variety by using half-regular espresso shots and half-decaf shots. I also like to order an iced Americano with blonde espresso shots for a slightly sweeter, less espresso-forward alternative from time to time.
Increase the espresso-to-water ratio
If your iced Americano tastes too watered down, it probably is. One easy way to fix this is by adding more espresso shots and using less water and ice. This should help you get that bolder, stronger taste you’re looking for. That’s one thing I love about the iced Americano: it’s never ruined and can always be adjusted to achieve perfection.
Make immediately
Naturally, it seems like it would make sense to allow your espresso to fully cool before mixing it into cold water. After all, you’re making a cold drink. This common mistake can impact the taste of your drink. While allowing your espresso shots to cool slightly, you don’t want to wait too long before pouring the espresso into cold water.
Keep it cold
Like any cold coffee drink, leaving it sitting out will ultimately cause it to get watered down as the ice melts. Pouring your iced Americano into a tumbler or insulated mug that keeps it cold can keep it from becoming too watery. Sometimes, I even throw in some iced coffee cubes to revive the coffee flavor if my iced Americano tastes too watered down.
Iced Americano vs. iced coffee
An iced Americano and an iced coffee are often confused, especially since both drinks look similar. An iced Americano is made with freshly brewed espresso, whereas an iced coffee uses traditionally brewed coffee. In terms of taste, an iced Americano has a much stronger, bolder taste due to the concentrated espresso shots. Both drinks are served on ice and can be enjoyed black or with cream or sugar.
Cold brew is also sometimes visually confused with an iced Americano. However, traditional cold brew is made by slowly steeping coffee grounds into cold water, whereas an iced Americano is made by pouring hot espresso over ice.
