When I get to my desk after my very early morning workout, the first thing I do is make myself a cup of hot coffee. It awakens me and gives plenty of energy to tackle the day ahead. There is just something about the rich and bold taste of coffee (and fun creamer flavors) that always perks up my day.
But as summer comes strolling along, the Miami heat (the weather, not the basketball team) can be unbearable and the last thing I want to drink is something hot. So this time of year is when I turn to drinking iced coffee; homemade iced coffee that is!
Homemade Ice Coffee
{yield: 1 gallon}
12 oz. of freshly ground coffee (dark roast, breakfast blend, etc. the options are endless)
8 cups boiling water
8 cups ice cold water
1 can sweetened condensed milk
To start making the iced coffee, pour the ground coffee into a large and heat proof bowl. Then add 8 cups of boiling hot water to the coffee and stir until the grounds are completely wet.
Let the coffee steep for 5 minutes. Note: your house will smell like Starbucks...which is not a bad thing in my book!
Once the 5 minutes have passed, place a large colander over a new clean heat proof bowl or pot and line the colander with 5 layers of cheesecloth. You can always use a clean "flour sack" type kitchen towel folded in half like I did. However, please note that the coffee might stain the towel.
Take the coffee grounds mixture and slowly pour it into the lined colander to strain the grounds away from the brewed coffee. The grounds can bog down the process a little, so it helps to use a spoon to move them around to allow the liquid to pass through easier.
When all the coffee has been strained, remove the grounds and add in the 8 cups of cold ice water to the brewed coffee and place in the fridge to chill. The amazing thing about this iced coffee is that it will last for up to 3 weeks if kept cold. Now, it will never last that long in my house, but for some it might.
Making the iced coffee is the hard part (and I'm using the word "hard" loosely!), but the easy part is enjoying it. I like to take a tall glass and fill it to the top with ice. Then add the coffee leaving a little room for cream, milk or my new favorite sweetened condensed milk.
Drizzle 1 to 2 tablespoons of the sweetened condensed milk to your coffee depending on how sweet you want it and stir to combine.
Add a straw (preferably pink) and the end result is the best iced coffee you've ever had. Enjoy!
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