8Tablespoonscoffee(I prefer whole beans that are ground just before brewing)
3cupscold water
ice
granulated sugar(start with 1/2 cup and adjust to your liking)
milk/cream if desired
Instructions
First, we'll start with the coffee. Because your iced coffee will be served over ice, the brewed coffee needs to be brewed with different proportions than your usual cup of hot morning Joe. That's the secret to making perfect iced coffee at home.
While it seems like a simple adjustment, it's the difference between a delicious cup of iced coffee and one that is watered down and tasteless. Typically, a full Tablespoon of coffee is used for every six ounces of water. In this case, we'll reduce the liquid by half in order to allow for the ice that will be added to the final cup.
By reducing the water, we'll have removed three full cups of liquid from our coffee. That will allow us to add back the three cups in the form of ice and milk or cream without diluting the coffee.
Using the guidelines above, brew your double strength coffee. If you don't use sugar or cream in your coffee, you can chill the brewed coffee in the refrigerator for later use or drink immediately poured over a glass of ice.
If you prefer coffee with sugar and cream, the sugar should be added while the coffee is still hot. This will allow the sugar to fully dissolve before the coffee has been chilled. Add the sugar to the hot coffee and stir until the sugar has dissolved completely.
At this point, the sweetened coffee can be stored in the refrigerator to be enjoyed later. If you wish to enjoy it immediately, add a cup of ice to the hot coffee in order to cool it down quickly. Stir the mixture in order to cool it slightly before pouring over a glass of ice, leaving room for milk or cream to be added. Add milk or cream to the glass and stir to fully incorporate.
Notes
If you are making a batch of iced coffee for a group and want to allow guests to sweeten their own glass of coffee, my vanilla bean simple syrup is perfect for sweetening the chilled coffee. It's also a wonderful way to add vanilla flavor to your iced coffee or iced tea.