Iced Latte - An unconventional way to make a classic

Here is a standard recipe for a milk-based espresso drink over ice. Lattes are super popular so I'm including this one as the base recipe but feel free to experiment with the ratio of espresso to milk, type of milk, etc. to figure our what you truly like.

One unconventional part of this recipe that I'd like to address before we get into the method is that for an iced latte, I still prefer to steam the milk (i.e. heat it up!). It sounds counterintuitive to be heating the milk up only to pour it over ice later on, but hear me out.

Have you ever realized that you have to sweeten your iced latte with simple syrup or sugar but when you make a hot latte, you find that it is sweet enough? When you steam milk to a certain temperature, you actually end up caramelizing some of the natural sugars in it, causing it to taste sweeter than prior to steaming. As a result, your hot latte is normally sweet enough without the need to add additional sugars. Not the case with iced lattes though.

Enter steamed milk. Game changer. It not only changes the taste of the iced drink (making it sweeter) but it also creates a creamier, silkier drink. Try it out and let me know how you like it!

Ingredients:

• 125mL of milk of choice (more or less based on preference)
• Enough ice to fill your favourite glass
• Double shot of your favourite espresso, concentrated Aeropress or concentrated cold brew*

Preparation:

1. Steam the milk to approximately 60 degrees Celsius and set aside.**
2. Pull a double shot of espresso and set aside.
3. Pour ice into glass of choice.
4. Gently swirl the steamed milk and then pour it into the glass slowly over the ice. Some of the ice will melt a bit but the drink will still be cold.
5. Top with double espresso and enjoy!

*If you don't have an espresso machine you can use an Aeropress and make a concentrated shot of coffee using 18g of medium-fine grind coffee and 40-50mL of hot water. Use the inverted method for this recipe. You can also use approximately 50mL of concentrated cold brew.

**If you don't have a steam wand or other equipment to steam milk, heat milk on medium heat on the stove until it reaches approximately 60 degrees Celsius. Remove from heat and carefully pour into a mason jar and seal with lid. Give it a good shake (but be careful because the milk is hot!!). Slowly remove the lid and proceed to the next step above. I don't recommend doing this in anything other than a mason jar. I once had a different glass jar explode on me and another time a plastic jar's lid popped off part way through shaking. Mason jars are made to withstand hot liquids so they are the safest.