With spring in full bloom and warmer days on the horizon, coffee drinkers are swapping their winter warm cup of coffee for cold coffees. As such, coffee brands like illy are whipping up new summer recipes like fruit-focused cold foams that pair perfectly atop a glass of cold brew coffee. Heidi Rasmussen, Director of UDC Education Quality and Sustainability at illy shares three new elevated cold coffee recipes that are simple enough to try at home. The biggest problem? Deciding which of these three new cold coffee recipes I should try first.
Blackberry Cold Foam Cold Brew
Blackberry and coffee may seem like a questionable flavor pairing at first glance, but illy found that it makes the perfect spring combination. Rasmussen shares that deep flavor of blackberries with bright acidity and earthy notes pairs really well with cold brew’s natural chocolate notes. She recommends using jelly over fresh fruit or jam with seeds when making this blackberry cold foam, as jam and preserves can be difficult to work with when using a milk frother at home.
This recipe elevates the flavor pairing of cold brew and blackberry even more by using vanilla syrup which acts as a bridge to the chocolate notes and tames the acidity of the blackberry. If substituting regular nonfat milk for a plant-based milk, be mindful that plant-based milks do not have the same ability to achieve the same consistency. If you do wish to substitute, oat milk is your best option or a “barista-blend” formulation which has added emulsifiers to help you create a frothy texture.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. blackberry jelly (no jam or preserves with seeds/fruit bits)
- 1 tbsp. vanilla syrup
- 3 oz nonfat milk
Method
- In a small bowl, combine the vanilla syrup and blackberry jelly.
- Add 3 oz. nonfat milk to the illy electric milk frother and push the cold foam button.
- Slowly add the blackberry and vanilla mix into the frother (please note, the frother will shut off if added too quickly).
- Pour the blackberry vanilla cold foam over illy classico cold brew. Serve immediately.
Strawberry Rose Cold Foam
Even though floral flavors can be tricky, Rasmussen says strawberry and rose complement each other well. This strawberry rose cold foam cold brew is reminiscent of chocolate covered strawberry. The rose is subtle and more present in the finish. She recommends making fresh strawberry puree, if possible. If using store bought, she recommends Monin strawberry puree. To complete the look, consider rimming your glass with crushed freezer-dried strawberries for a nice touch or even dusting the top with a few dried rose petals.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp. strawberry puree
- 1 tbsp. rose syrup
- 3 oz nonfat milk
Method
- In a small bowl, combine the rose syrup and strawberry puree.
- Add 3 oz. nonfat milk to the illy electric milk frother and push the cold foam button.
- Slowly add the strawberry and rose syrup mix into the frother (please note, the frother will shut off if added too quickly).
- Pour the strawberry rose cold foam over illy classico cold brew. Serve immediately.
Espresso Freddo Shakerato
Illy has made a few modern American modifications to an authentic Shakerato, crafting this recipe with a dash of water to mellow out the espresso flavor. A Italian espresso Shakerato is espresso, a little simple syrup shaken with ice and strained into a glass. For this recipe, Rasmussen recommends using a Boston shaker and using only small to medium ice cubes or cracked ice (avoid hollow, crushed, or flaked ice).
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp. (40-50 ml) espresso
- 2 tsp (10 ml) liquid sugar
- Ice cubes
Method
- Chill the glass
- Prepare two espressos in a cappuccino cup
- Put the ice cubes, liquid sugar and two shots of espresso, which are added as the last ingredient, into the Boston shaker
- Shake vigorously and pour into the chilled glass, filtering the ice with a strainer.
