Coffee purists may raise an eyebrow, but one sip will convert you. With smooth cold brew and tangy lemonade, this recipe creates a chilled drink that’s surprisingly balanced and incredibly refreshing — and you can make it in minutes.
DIY Cold Brew Lemonade:
The whole drink hinges on nailing your cold brew. Each choice you make—beans, water, timing—shapes the final flavor.
Equipment
Honestly, you don’t need fancy gear. A big glass jar or French press does the trick for steeping. If you’ve got a coffee grinder, use it for a coarse grind—makes a difference. For filtering, a fine-mesh strainer or some cheesecloth works. A kitchen scale isn’t essential, but it helps if you want to get the ratios right.
Don’t forget a long spoon or something to stir with. If you’re a stickler for precision, a digital scale or just basic measuring cups will do. Use filtered water if you can swing it. And have a bottle or carafe ready for chilling and serving later.
Ingredients
Start with good coffee beans. Light or medium roast—think Ethiopian or Colombian—brings out those bright, clean flavors that play nicely with lemonade.
Filtered water is your friend. If you want a punchier concentrate, bump up the coffee-to-water ratio. Here’s a standard setup:
- 60g whole coffee beans (about 2/3 cup, coarsely ground)
- 900ml filtered water (about 4 cups)
- Optional: tiny pinch of salt if your coffee’s a bit bitter
Keep it simple—skip the flavored beans, they just get weird with lemonade.
Instructions
Here’s how you pull it together:
- Weigh out 60g of beans and grind them coarse.
- Dump the grounds into your jar or French press.
- Pour 900ml cold, filtered water over the top.
- Stir so everything’s wet and mixed.
- Cover it up and stash in the fridge for 12–18 hours.
- Strain it twice with a fine-mesh strainer or cheesecloth—nobody likes gritty coffee.
- Store the concentrate in the fridge; it’ll stay good for about a week.
When it’s time to mix, most people go with a 1:1 ratio of cold brew to lemonade, but honestly, tweak it to your liking.
Tasting Notes
If you use a light or medium roast, you’ll catch some floral and citrus notes right away. The flavor’s smooth, mellow, with just a hint of acidity—nothing harsh.
With a solid cold brew as your base, the lemonade really pops. The drink stays easygoing, not too bitter or acidic. And if you’re using Ethiopian or other African beans, sometimes you’ll get little bursts of berry or fruitiness. Just make sure the cold brew’s fresh and chilled, and you’re set.
Quick Pro Tips
Go for coarsely ground beans—seriously, skip the fine stuff unless you’re after bitterness and regret. Oh, and don’t neglect your gear. Clean equipment really does make a difference in flavor.
Steeping time is a bit of a wild card. Longer means stronger, but if you’re new to this, try somewhere in the 12-18 hour range. Personally, I lean toward lighter roasts; they just seem to pop more in a cold brew.
Only dilute the concentrate when you actually mix it with lemonade. If you keep it undiluted, it’ll last longer in the fridge. Honestly, small batches are the way to go if you’re after that just-made freshness. Try to drink it up within a week—after that, it loses its magic.
