Over quarantine, I was inspired to try something new with my coffee recipes. So, after a couple of hundred coffee tutorials and TikToks later, I was able to channel my creativity into making different drinks from coffee and even ventured to try making refreshing fruity drinks! Here are 3 new and refreshing drink recipes to try at home for the spring and summer.
Blueberry Lavender Milk Tea
For a nice pick-me-up in the afternoon, enjoy this blueberry lavender milk tea hot and cold! Here are the ingredients you’ll need to make this refreshing tea.
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½ cup of Blueberry Lavender Almond Milk from Trader Joe’s
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½ cup of water
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1 earl grey tea bag
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2 tsps of sugar
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*Optional – ice
You’ll first have to prepare your tea by turning on a kettle with a ½ cup of water and placing your earl grey tea bag in a cup. While your water is warming up, grab a cup and pour ½ cup of the blueberry lavender almond milk into it. Add the 2 teaspoons of sugar to the cold milk, and place the cup in the microwave for 45 seconds. This should be enough for the milk to be steamed, but not boiling.
Your water should be done heating up now, so pour the ½ cup of water into the cup that has the earl grey tea bag. (If you want to make the cold version of the drink, take a handful of ice after the earl grey tea bag is steeped for 1 minute and don’t follow instructions for heating up the milk. Instead, pour ½ cup of milk into the separate cup and add the sugar to the hot tea before adding the ice!)
After, take out your tea bag, pour the milk mixture into the cup where the tea is, and mix! If you’re making the cold version of the drink, make sure to top the drink off with more ice and enjoy!
Cold Foam Iced Vanilla Coffee
The perfect refreshing and foamy drink to start off your day, here are the steps to making the perfect cold foam iced vanilla coffee.
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⅔ cup of coffee/espresso
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⅓ cup of milk (any milk of your choice!)
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¼ cup of any creamer (I use this one from Target!)
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2 tsps of Torani Vanilla syrup
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Ice
First, prepare your espresso/coffee as usual! While you prepare your coffee, grab a cup and pour ⅓ of milk into it, add the 2 teaspoons of vanilla syrup and heat it in the microwave for 30 seconds. This should be enough for the milk to mix well with the coffee as it’s not great to mix cold with hot. It’s better to bring down the temperatures of both the coffee and milk together. After your coffee’s done, add a couple of ice cubes into the cup and set it aside. Once the milk mixture is heated, turn on the handheld milk frother and whisk for about 10 seconds. Set the milk aside and follow the same steps to froth the cold coffee (once the ice has melted).
Your coffee and milk should be whisked now, so combine them together in 1 cup, add a handful of ice and set it aside. Now in a separate cup, add a ¼ cup of any creamer (keep it cold!) and whisk for another 10 seconds. Add the frothed creamer onto the iced coffee and you now have a refreshing, cold foam iced vanilla coffee! Pop in a straw, stir everything together and enjoy!
Raspberry Mint Lemonade
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A couple of mint leaves (about 5-6)
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1 tsp of sugar
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⅓ cup of water
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1 bag of blueberry pea tea OR green tea
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½ can of Sanpellegrino Momenti’s Lemon & Rasberry sparkling drink
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A bit of Sanpellegrino sparkling water
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Ice
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*Optional – 2 tsps of coconut syrup for a sweeter touch!
First, in a cup, muddle 1 teaspoon of sugar and the mint leaves together. Add a ⅓ cup of water to a kettle, add a bag of green tea or a bag of blueberry pea tea (which tastes just like green tea) to the same cup with the mint leaves and sugar, add the hot water and set this tea aside with 1 ice cube. In a tall glass, add a ½ can of the Sanpellegrino Lemon & Raspberry drink, add the tea by straining it over the glass, add a handful of ice and if there’s still room in the glass – top it off with a bit of sparkling water. Mix it with some coconut syrup if you want it a bit sweeter and enjoy your refreshing, summer drink!
A Refreshing, Sunny Experience
My favorite is definitely the Raspberry Mint Lemonade! It’s something new and exciting and I’ve tried it out a couple of times because I was so inspired by the TikToks I had seen. Also, whenever I make the drink, it makes me feel like a mixologist so I can’t wait to learn more about it. Remember each cup of tea and coffee can turn out different with just a teaspoon more of sweetener or a different coffee-to-milk ratio. These recipes can be made simple with a few materials and you can definitely stock up on a few syrups so you can figure out your favorite! These recipes are great while sunbathing, on a picnic or even chilling indoors. Sit back and enjoy the sun with your refreshing drink or iced coffee!