NEW ORLEANS ICED COFFEE
So here we have it. The culmination of the best of all brown liquids, stirred together with love, ice, and cream. Yes, I’m talking about coffee. New Orleans Iced Coffee to be exact.
This recipe is inspired by that one day when best friend and part-time-blog-consultant slash full-time-party-animal, Emily, and I sought out 4 cups of coffee in one day, one of which included Blue Bottle’s earth-shattering-and-clouds-parting NOLA Iced Coffee.
And I just couldn’t get it out of my head.
So of course endeavored to make it at home.New Orleans Iced Coffee -thegourmetgourmand.comSo Blue Bottle’s New Orleans Iced Coffee is basically a riff off of the standard New Orleans coffee that one can access at pretty much any beignet shop in NOLA. Most classically is the coffee at Cafe du Monde, whose product has become fairly ubiquitous at stores around the country.
However, I didn’t really want to purchase coffee with chicory already mixed in. I was interested in enhancing my normal coffee (I rotate varieties, but I’m currently obsessing over Dark Horse’s Brazil blend). So what’s a girl to do?
My solution was to make a simple syrup (see Wednesday’s post about how to make chicory simple syrup) so I could feel like a true barista and so I could also have some chicory syrup for the inevitable day when I attempt to incorporate chicory into something totally unexpected. New Orleans Iced Coffee -thegourmetgourmand.comJust to be clear, I made plain cold-brewed coffee (no chicory included) in a French press, which is probably one of the easiest things and most delicious things you can do for yourself. It’s a process that involves simply dumping some coffee grounds in the pitcher, filling it up with water, and pressing down with the strainer about half-way before refrigerating for at least 8 hours.
The next day when I was ready to drink my cold brew, I added a few tablespoons of chicory syrup, a little water to dilute the coffee, and a little half and half. (You could substitute the water + half and half for milk, but I’d advise against using 100% half and half as I found this way too rich).
When making cold brew, it’s pretty critical to dilute your concentrate or else you’ll end up with palpitations, nausea, and feeling strangely shaky all day long. (I may or may not be speaking from real life experience…)New Orleans Iced Coffee -thegourmetgourmand.comMy recipe turned out absolutely delicious, but just slightly sweeter than the classic Blue Bottle beverage.
But not quite as sweet as Vietnamese Iced Coffee, which in case you were unfamiliar, is another classic drink using coffee and chicory, but one which uses condensed milk as the sweetener instead of sugar or simple syrup.New Orleans Iced Coffee -thegourmetgourmand.com(Side note- Dave and I are self-proclaimed coffee connoisseurs and try to find local “third wave” coffee shops anytime we are visiting a new destination. The little cortado cup featured in these photos is from an amazing little coffee shop called Crema in Nashville and I would highly recommend it if you ever happen to be visiting or passing through).
But in the meantime please enjoy it as a cute little prop for these delicious photos of NOLA iced coffee, the Gourmet Gourmand style.New Orleans Iced Coffee -thegourmetgourmand.comCheers! and hope you enjoy a caffeine buzz all weekend long!
