The Starbucks-Approved Brewing Method For Iced Coffee Lemonade
A summer drink that never fails to hit the spot is a cold glass of lemonade. However, one refreshing caffeinated, citrusy pick-me-up that has made waves in recent years is the iced coffee lemonade, which is simply coffee mixed with lemonade and ice. Starbucks has an approved brewing technique to achieve the perfect balance between the bitterness from the chilled, dark coffee and the sweet, tangy lemonade. The method? Use double-strength coffee.
To brew a double-strength coffee, the key is to double the amount of coffee grounds that you'd typically brew for a serving of your coffee. For example, a 6-ounce cup of coffee is usually made with two scoops of ground coffee. For this recipe, use four scoops of coffee. The actual weight of coffee used will be different depending on the brand and innate strength of your coffee grounds, so be sure to read the suggested amount of grounds serving size and simply double it.
Make double-strength coffee in a coffee press
In order to brew the double-strength coffee, Starbucks recommends using a coffee press method. This involves adding your double grounds inside the French press, pouring hot water (just below boiling) atop the grounds, letting the grounds steep in the water, and using the press to plunge down and separate the coffee grounds from the brewed coffee.
To craft the best Starbucks iced coffee lemonade, the coffee chain suggests making your own lemonade by mixing simple syrup (heated sugar and water) and water with freshly squeezed lemon juice. To a glass filled with ice, Starbucks adds one part of the double-strength coffee to one part of the homemade lemonade. The final drink can be adjusted for sweetness and a splash of sparkling water can be added for an effervescent flair.
Many consider the iced coffee lemonade the analog to the Arnold Palmer drink, which is half iced tea and lemonade and gets its namesake from the late pro-golfer. But no matter how it got its name, brewed double-strength and stirred into sweetened lemonade makes for a deliciously chilled, citrusy glass of joe.