summer flavor shots

 

Last summer I finally mastered a method of making delicious iced coffee at home. Which really helps the ol' change purse. The next thing to do was figure out a sweetener that would work best with a cold drink. I've been using raw sugar in my coffee lately because artificial sweeteners are always questionable. And the ones that are supposedly healthy taste awful in my opinion. (I'm lookin at you Stevia and Truvia.) And raw is always better than processed so raw sugar it is! Of course I use it in moderation and really only in my coffee so I'm not worried about it effecting my weight. And it hasn't, for the record. :)

So! The next logical step was to create simple syrup for my iced coffee. That way there's no grainy business at the bottom of the glass from undissolved sugar. Simple syrup is really, very simple. It goes like this..

Combine equal parts sugar and water in a small pot.

Boil until dissolved.

Simmer for 10-15 minutes.

Bam. Liquid sugar.

And as I'm sure you've seen around the webs, people have found ways of making other syrups in different flavors, often to imitate popular delicious drinks from certain coffee shops. ;) Well I went and bought myself four of these olive oil bottles from target and decided I'd try four new flavors for each season. I made a list and decided to get to making the summer ones since it's absolutely iced coffee season. First up on the list - coconut, raspberry, vanilla, and a plain simple syrup for unflavored coffee.

This seriously took me about an hour one morning. I just kept cooking the sugar, adding the flavors, bottling, rinsing the pot, and repeat. Such a quick little project for so much tasty coffee. I can't wait until I get to the fall and winter flavors this year! This is gonna be good.

I'm sipping on some coconut iced coffee as I type this. I just need a little sand and some waves and I'll be all set. :)

What's your favorite summertime flavor? Hope you have a great weekend!

Check the recipes below!

Simple Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water

Add sugar and water to a small saucepan. Boil on medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Simmer on low for 15 minutes.


All flavored syrup recipes from Annie's Eats


Vanilla Syrup
 1 cup sugar
1 cup water
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise (I substituted an extra tsp. vanilla extract for this)
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Add sugar and water to a small saucepan. Scrape in vanilla bean seeds and toss the pod in. Boil on medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and discard pod. Stir in vanilla extract.


Raspberry Syrup
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3/4 cup fresh raspberries

Add sugar, water, and raspberries to a small saucepan. Boil on medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. Pour mixture through a fine mesh strainer to remove raspberry seeds and pieces.


Coconut Syrup
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup water
1/4 cup coconut cream (found in the aisle with the cocktail drink mixes)
2 tsp coconut extract

Add sugar, water, and coconut cream to a small saucepan. Boil on medium-high heat until sugar is dissolved, stirring occasionally. Simmer on low for 10-15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in coconut extract.


Storing..
Pour into bottles and allow mixtures to cool. Store in the refrigerator. I made little tin foil caps for all of my bottle tips also.