Easy Vietnamese Iced Coffee Recipe with Espresso

Chances are if you walk into our house or work with us in our studio, you’ll end up sipping on some of our favorite coffee drinks. For the morning, a manual pressed espresso or cappuccino will start the day. In the afternoon when we start feeling sluggish, a Vietnamese iced coffee is the perfect “pick-me-up”. If you’ve never had a Vietnamese Iced Coffee, it’s a combination of strong coffee and a hit of sweetened condensed milk, add iced and a super refreshing “ahh”.

It’s been a super busy summer and when the two o’clock hour rolls along, we’re reaching for the iced coffee like it’s going out of style.

Speaking of Summer, we still can’t believe August is already here and we’re heading towards the holidays. Isn’t that terrible to already be thinking of the holidays?! We’re in no rush in any way to be pushing Summer away, but when we were shopping for some Summer props the other day, the stores were already stocking their shelves with faux pumpkins, autumn leaves and some Halloween items. We’re not ready to be giving up sweet corn, stone fruit and watermelon just yet, so why drop all this bounty and hang faux pumpkins? It just doesn’t feel right.

So in continuous celebration of this glorious warm weather and longer days on the beach, we’re sharing with you our easy method of making Vietnamese Iced Coffee.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoon Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2 oz. Espresso
• Ice

Directions:

1. Pour the sweetened condensed milk in a glass. Add the hot espresso and stir to combine.
2. Taste and adjust to preference. Add ice and serve.

Margarita Recipe and The Magic Formula – Bitters

Call me suckered, hoodwinked, or duped. I believe in magic potions. A man hawking small bottles of potion, proclaiming outlandish results. Out of curiosity, I skeptically try the potion.

A few shakes in a cocktail drink. A cocktail I am very familiar with, but with a mere few dashes of this elixir it became something new. Better. Incredibly delicious.

Cocktail Bitters have been known to many much more savvy than I, but for me it is an exciting new world. A mystical potion which marries the ingredients of a cocktail together. Just about anytime I find a bar making exceptional cocktails drinks, it is almost a guarantee that they have a beautiful stock of bitters frequently reached for behind the bar. Often times, there are bitters they are making themselves amongst the bottles.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 oz Resposada or Anejo Tequila
• 1 1/2 oz fresh Lime Juice
• 1 oz Simple Syrup
• 3 dashes Orange Bitters
• kosher salt or sea salt for the rim

Directions:

1. Rub the rim of an old fashioned glass (or whatever glass you prefer) with an edge of a lime slice. Swirl the rim through a small pile of kosher or sea salt to salt the rim. Add one or two large cubes into the glass.
2. Combine tequila, lime juice, simple syrup, and bitters in an ice filled shaker.
3. Shake vigorously for 15 seconds, then strain into the salted glass. Serve or drink immediately and with leisure.
*a basic simple syrup is simply a 1:1 ratio of sugar and water. One cup sugar dissolved in one cup of water. This can always be modified for preferred taste and experimentation, but this is a good starting point.