So I previously posted a Vietnamese Coffee recipe, but I've got an easier recipe now that doesn't require condensed milk and is particularly suited for the cold/iced version, which is the only version I'm in the mood for in the summer.
It's basically a super lazy method of making something similar Vietnamese Coffee by just mixing the following:
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 2 oz Trader Joe's coffee concentrate ( about $8 at TJ's, $17 on Amazon, yikes!)
• 4 oz milk
In other words, just mix an approximate ratio of 1:2:4 simple syrup:concentrated coffee:milk, or adjust those ratios to taste.
UPDATE: For those who don't have a Trader Joe's around. There might be similar coffee concentrate products available to you out there. Or, like 4peatssake said below, homemade espresso will likely produce similar results.
Long-winded Commentary
Simple syrup is just sugar and water, usually in a 1:1 ratio. Boil water and mix in table sugar. I usually use a 1:1 ratio (1 cup water: 1 cup sugar) but you can use more sugar if you want it more concentrated.
I make simple syrup in batches and store it in the fridge, seems to keep just fine. Some people put a dash of vodka in there to help it last longer. It's more convenient than granular sugar because it mixes easily into liquids. I also use it to sweeten milk and for mixed drinks (it's actually a barkeep's staple item) and also for sweet-and-sour stir fry dishes. For even more convenience (laziness), I store it in the fridge in a plastic squeeze top bottle.
The Trader Joe's concentrated coffee is the key to this recipe. I didn't know it existed until about a week or two ago. I think I read about it here, but I forgot where, so I cannot give credit.
The package says that a bottle produces 12 8oz cups of coffee when mixed with water/milk. The total volume of the bottle is 32 oz. So that means 2 and 2/3 ounces is equivalent to an 8 oz cup of coffee.
This recipe is similar to vietnamese coffee except you don't have to use condensed milk, which is kind of a hassle because you have to store it in your fridge in a separate container and then it gets too thick to pour and is a pain to spoon out and only mixes well into a hot liquid. Also you have the leeching problems associated with your typical canned good.
So why not just brew coffee and add milk and sugar? Well, for one thing, this saves you from having to brew it. And secondly, just like the condensed milk recipe, this allows you to use more milk and less water. If you added 4 oz of milk to a regular 8oz cup of coffee you'd end up with 12 oz of gross, watered-down, milky coffee — I assume.
This way you get a half a cup of milk, with fat content to your liking, plus a cup's worth of coffee plus about 15-18g of sugar.
I'm no connoisseur, but I think this tastes pretty good. They say the cold-brewing process makes it less acidic. To me, the final product tastes like vietnamese coffee, which tastes like a starbucks frappuccino. I'm not really a big fan of pure coffee because of the bitterness, but I do like the coffee flavor when the bitterness has been sufficiently masked with milk and sugar.
They say, "Laziness is the mother of invention." Oh, that's not the saying? Well it should be.
It's basically a super lazy method of making something similar Vietnamese Coffee by just mixing the following:
• 1 oz simple syrup
• 2 oz Trader Joe's coffee concentrate ( about $8 at TJ's, $17 on Amazon, yikes!)
• 4 oz milk
In other words, just mix an approximate ratio of 1:2:4 simple syrup:concentrated coffee:milk, or adjust those ratios to taste.
UPDATE: For those who don't have a Trader Joe's around. There might be similar coffee concentrate products available to you out there. Or, like 4peatssake said below, homemade espresso will likely produce similar results.
Long-winded Commentary
Simple syrup is just sugar and water, usually in a 1:1 ratio. Boil water and mix in table sugar. I usually use a 1:1 ratio (1 cup water: 1 cup sugar) but you can use more sugar if you want it more concentrated.
I make simple syrup in batches and store it in the fridge, seems to keep just fine. Some people put a dash of vodka in there to help it last longer. It's more convenient than granular sugar because it mixes easily into liquids. I also use it to sweeten milk and for mixed drinks (it's actually a barkeep's staple item) and also for sweet-and-sour stir fry dishes. For even more convenience (laziness), I store it in the fridge in a plastic squeeze top bottle.
The Trader Joe's concentrated coffee is the key to this recipe. I didn't know it existed until about a week or two ago. I think I read about it here, but I forgot where, so I cannot give credit.
The package says that a bottle produces 12 8oz cups of coffee when mixed with water/milk. The total volume of the bottle is 32 oz. So that means 2 and 2/3 ounces is equivalent to an 8 oz cup of coffee.
This recipe is similar to vietnamese coffee except you don't have to use condensed milk, which is kind of a hassle because you have to store it in your fridge in a separate container and then it gets too thick to pour and is a pain to spoon out and only mixes well into a hot liquid. Also you have the leeching problems associated with your typical canned good.
So why not just brew coffee and add milk and sugar? Well, for one thing, this saves you from having to brew it. And secondly, just like the condensed milk recipe, this allows you to use more milk and less water. If you added 4 oz of milk to a regular 8oz cup of coffee you'd end up with 12 oz of gross, watered-down, milky coffee — I assume.
This way you get a half a cup of milk, with fat content to your liking, plus a cup's worth of coffee plus about 15-18g of sugar.
I'm no connoisseur, but I think this tastes pretty good. They say the cold-brewing process makes it less acidic. To me, the final product tastes like vietnamese coffee, which tastes like a starbucks frappuccino. I'm not really a big fan of pure coffee because of the bitterness, but I do like the coffee flavor when the bitterness has been sufficiently masked with milk and sugar.
They say, "Laziness is the mother of invention." Oh, that's not the saying? Well it should be.
