The Milk Frother Trick For Elevated Iced Coffee Presentation

Preparing a barista-style cup of Joe with a dreamy serving of cold foam is easy with a modern, affordable coffee machine. However, if you want to take things up a notch, try using a milk frother to create pretty rings of syrup or sauce inside your glass before topping it up with your iced coffee. This neat trick distributes syrup evenly throughout your cold beverage and works best on tall glasses where you can create an eye-catching stacked spiral effect. However, you can try it on shorter tumblers too, but just be aware that you won't be able to make as many dainty rings on the inside of your glass.

Begin by decanting a small amount of syrup into your glass (there should be just enough to cover the coils of your milk frother when you dip it in). Once you've loaded the coils, gently lift your frother up an inch, making sure it doesn't touch the sides. Then switch it on but keep it as still as possible so the coils can spin and squirt out the sauce, thereby creating a neat ring of caramel on the inside of your glass. Turn your frother off quickly, move it up an inch or so, and repeat this process until your entire glass is decorated with a series of rings. If required, reload the coils with more sauce as you go along.

Try to keep an even amount of space between your rings of syrup so they remain distinct (if they're too close together, there's a risk they'll merge into each other defeating the entire purpose). Also be sure to turn your frother off quickly after making each ring to create a light layer of sauce that clings to the glass. Leave it on for too long and the layer will be too thick and may drip down the glass, ruining the picture perfect presentation. This is more likely to occur if you're using a fruity or chocolate sauce that has a thinner viscosity than a thicker, stickier caramel that grips to the glass. However, don't worry too much if the syrup does dribble down a lot because it will still create a cool drizzle effect, like the icing on a drip cake.

While it's true that the sauce will eventually dissolve into your iced coffee, the rings should remain on the glass for enough time to make an impact upon serving. Plus, applying the sauce up the entire height of your cup will ensure that its sweetness is distributed from top to bottom, guaranteeing every sip is delightful. To make your iced coffee stay cold for longer, simply place your glasses in the fridge before decorating them with your sauce. The cold surface will also help to set your caramel, chocolate, or vanilla syrup so it sticks better to the glass.