Make Your Iced Coffee Even More Refreshing With A Splash Of Lemon Juice

Especially once temperatures rise, there's something about an iced coffee that really hits the spot. Just take a glance at the extensive selection of cold-coffee preparations. A cup of joe synergizes well with ice. Plus, each style offers its own special allure, whether it's the more intense notes of cold brew as opposed to an iced coffee, or the creamy goodness of an iced latte.

Additionally, iced coffee preparations open to new flavor combinations, since certain ingredients can be more seamlessly stirred in alongside ice. A terrific flavoring candidate is lemon. Think of it like lemonade meets morning pick-me-up, ready for refreshing enjoyment. All it takes is a squeeze of lemon juice and some sweetener, all mixed with a brewed coffee and served with ice.

In fact, such a drink has been enjoyed for centuries, first concocted in 1840 Algeria. Known as Mazagran, it's a coffee rendition that's now a staple across northern Africa and southern Europe. It historically takes on a wide-range of proportions, which means it's time for iced coffee with lemon experimentation in your home, too.

Traditionally, Mazagran is prepared to taste — every barista tinkers with their own combinations of coffee, sugar and lemon juice. This iced coffee style favors intensely brewed joe — think cold brew concentrate, espresso, or moka pot. The drink comes together with two parts coffee to one part lemon juice, and vigorously stirred with sugar to dissolve. Once the synergy of the three components tastes ideal, the result is then diluted with water and ice.

Such a rendition makes an iced lemon coffee that's on the bolder side. However, such an assembly means you can integrate nearly any iced coffee base, and perhaps even mix in rum for an aromatic midday cocktail. Just remember you shouldn't pour freshly brewed espresso over ice or else it turns out too bitter. And stick to simple flavor additions like some mint. There's not much room for another flavorful ingredient.

If you're after something more easygoing, craft a drink that reads more like an Arnold Palmer. Whip up a classic lemonade, and then combine it with a strong brewed coffee, topping it off with some carbonated water for a nice mouthfeel. Since the coffee's less prominent, this version opens to a wider range of flavors. You can easily swap the idea with some of the best lemonade recipes. Just whatever you do, don't add milk, since it won't mesh with the citrus.