Serves 1
8 ounces regular iced coffee cooled in the refrigerator or 8 ounces home-brewed iced coffee concentrate
2 1/2 tablespoons mint syrup*
Half and half or cream, to taste
Mint leaves for garnish
Iced coffee concentrate:
1/2 cup ground coffee
2 cups cold water
Mint syrup*:
1 cup water
1 cup sugar (I used turbinado cane sugar)
1 handful fresh mint leaves
1 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out of pod
Instructions
1. Prepare the iced coffee concentrate if not using cooled regular hot coffee. Do this by combining ground coffee and cold water together in a large glass. Stir well, and let sit at room temperature for 8 hours, or overnight. The following morning, strain the mixture in a fine mesh sieve or cheesecloth to remove the grinds. Store the cold coffee in a sealed container in the refrigerator.
2. To make the mint syrup, combine the water, sugar, mint leaves and vanilla beans and empty pod to a saucepan. Heat over medium, and stir constantly until sugar dissolves and the mixture begins boiling. Let boil for a couple minutes, then turn off heat and let sit on the eye until it cools completely. Remove the mint leaves and vanilla beans, storing syrup in a container and refrigerating for up to 1-2 weeks.
3. To make your iced coffee, combine either cooled coffee or coffee concentrate, mint syrup, cream and fresh mint leaves to garnish. Add a couple ice cubes and stir.
*Recipe source: “How Sweet It Is”
Recipe originally featured in the June 2014 issue of Validity. Article written by Katie Hayes.