Summer is iced coffee season — and Brooklyn baristas are buzzing about creative spins on the classic chilled brew.
Java joints are using bold spices, new steeping techniques, and even a splash of booze to entice caffeine junkies — and it’s working!
Behold our picks for the most refreshing, unique and guzzle-worthy Joe-on-the-rocks drinks this side of Seattle:
Crop to Cup
This farm-to-coffee-table shop is channeling its inner beer buff by using home brewing tools to cold-steep fair-trade African beans.
Baristas allow the elixir to steep for 14 hours in a fine mesh bag to bring out its sweet and chocolaty notes.
“You get a heavier body with nice bright flavors,” says owner Taylor Moork. “It’s really refreshing.”
[541 Third Ave. at 13th Street in Gowanus, (917) 531-8754]. Small, $2.75; large, $3.65.
Toby’s Estate
This ice tea-inspired thirst-quencher may taste like Earl Gray — but it’s blacker, bolder, and not fit for your grandmother.
The citrus-forward caffeine potion is double-brewed with beans from Kenya and Ethiopia, then poured over frosty cubes. “There’s a natural sweetness that translates well to a cold drink,” says roaster Deaton Pigot.
[125 N. Sixth St. near Berry Street in Williamsburg, (347) 457-6160]. $3.75.
Tea Lounge
Espresso shots will perk you up — but the boozy kind will give you a bigger buzz. That’s the idea behind Tea Lounge’s “Canadian Coffee,” a traditional cold cup with a dollop of maple syrup and shot of Maker’s Mark whiskey.
The writer-centric coffee house by day, bar by night double-brews the rich and frosty drink, which would earn the Earnest Hemmingway seal of approval.
[837 Union St. near Seventh Avenue in Park Slope, (718) 789-2762]. $9.
Blue Bottle Coffee
Bored by your standard iced coffee?
Try spicing up your morning, literally, at Blue Bottle.
The Williamsburg shop’s New Orleans-style iced coffee is made with roasted chicory, coarsely ground beans, and simple syrup.
The perpetually packed pour-over palace serves the beverage chilled with cream for a complex, dark, and buttery finish that coffee junkies call heaven in a cup.
[160 Berry St. at N. Fifth Street in Williamsburg, (718) 387-4160]. $4.
Reach reporter Natalie O'Neill at noneill@cnglocal.com or by calling her at (718) 260-4505.
