The Cold Brew Tonic

Last summer I was traveling with my family up the southern east coast. We hit a few places, but we ended in Charleston, South Carolina. We were only there for a day and when we got in it was what can only be described as WICKED hot. One step outside of the car and I was almost sure I was going to melt. We were wandering around a downtown farmers market when I stumbled across a little coffee cart offering something known as an espresso tonic. With the sweltering heat and sun beating down on my paper white skin I was looking for relief so naturally I was intrigued.

This random little cart is known as Sassyass Coffee, just the absolute best name, and is run by the most wonderfully spunky couple. I got something known as the Huck Fizz, and let me tell you it did taste as good as it looked.

Find out where in Charleston they're at today through their Instagram @sassyass_coffee

A little bitter from the espresso, a sharp twang from the tonic water, and a little sweet form the huckleberry syrup they added which also gave it that stunning mauve color.

I was so excited. It was 95 degrees out with 90+ percent humidity.

From that point on I was understandably hooked. This was the ideal drink to beat the heat, but honestly I wasn’t seeing it many other places. That was until I took a trip to Jacksonville a month or so later to visit my friend Grace. We were wandering around downtown in the humid Florida heat and I was getting a little desperate for a cold drink for a little relief. Enter BREW Five Points, a small front shop that opens up to a bar in the back. Here I found the Lav Lime Tonic; lavender syrup added to a cold brew with tonic water and squeeze of lime to tie it all together. They made me finish the bottle of tonic water they used for my drink, which honestly I wasn’t mad about. I like tonic water. It was ridiculously good and so refreshing against the Florida heat.

Find them on Instagram @brewfivepoints

And then I couldn’t find another drink like it. For months I kept an eye out for something like it but the closest I got to it in Tallahassee was the Mazagran from Power Plant Cafe, half cold brew and half lemonade. I have a thing for sour things and coffee apparently.

I'm a sucker for color gradients in my drinks too.

My search was in vain though, until I found myself back in Orlando post graduation. I hadn’t consistently been home in months, so in February when I returned back to my home town I returned to old haunt Vespr Coffeebar. It was a hot day, not blistering but still warm enough that I was feeling an iced drink. I walked into the shop thinking that I was going to get an iced vanilla bean latte, until I did a once over of the menu and discovered that because I was so used to Vespr’s menu that I had missed a menu addition from almost a year ago.

They had a cold brew tonic.

The baristas at Vespr must be so used to me doing this at this point.

I’m sure you can imagine how excited I was, and also I’m sure you can also imagine the physical facepalm I wanted to do when I realized that had been on their menu for MONTHS. I never claimed to be smart, let me live. Needless to say I immediately ordered and my love for this drink bloomed in my heart once more.

@Vespr on Instagram

So the natural next step for me was to attempt this drink at home. The cold brew tonic fits right into my current interests outside of coffee too. I’ve been playing around in the world of flavored simple syrups for drinks. They are super versatile and make things sound way fancier than they actually are. This drink is kind of the same way. With just three ingredients it’s looks (and tastes) more impressive than it actually is. I made blackberry lime syrup for this particular endeavor. I figured that the sour of the lime and the tartness of the blackberries in the syrup would pair well with the citrusy flavor of tonic water.

Look at those colors. If a person could make the heart eyes in real life I would be looking at this!

After the syrup had cooled I was fast to put the drink together. I used some store brand tonic water, it’s way cheaper than the super fancy ones people often get for cocktails, and mixed in a couple of spoonfuls of the syrup. The syrup came out a brilliant red that I knew was going to look super cool. I added in some ice cubes to create a solid density difference when I added the coffee in and then slowly drizzled Stok’s Not Too Sweet cold brew over top.

As you can see the final result was a stunning color gradient and an overall delicious drink. I’m looking forward making this drink as Florida fully enters the hot months of spring and summer. I know that it’s not for everyone, some people want to take their cold brew plain, but if you’re looking to try someone a little different then I recommend either seeking this out at your local coffee shop or making it yourself!

Happy sipping everyone!

-Em

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