Published August 8, 2011

The summer heat presents something of a conundrum to those of us who derive a significant portion of their daily caloric intake from coffee. My first latte of the day is generally enjoyed before things really heat up, but subsequent cups have to be taken in the shelter of a vigorously pumping air-conditioner. However, there is another way. Slow-brewed iced-coffee lets you get the caffeine you crave without the subsequent sweating fit a steaming cup of joe can prompt.

Now, there is iced-coffee and then there is iced-coffee. One approach is to take the familiar, piping hot article and pour it over ice. I suppose this works in a pinch but slow-brewed iced-coffee from a simple contraption like the Toddy Coffee Maker is something else all together. Methods vary by your chosen tool, but the basic idea is the same. You take a pound of good coffee and let it soak in about 10 cups of water for half a day, strain the lively, powerful brew and store it in the refrigerator until you need that mid-day pick up.

I follow a simple recipe with this super-strength caffeine concoction. Mix it at a ratio of about 1 part slow-brewed coffee to 2 parts 2% milk and top it off with a little simple syrup. The one disadvantage to cold coffee is that sugar will not easily dissolve in it. Thus, simple syrup is a better choice to sweeten it.

This potent elixir isn’t just for sipping. I have used it as part of a marinade for ribeye steaks and in place of espresso in the ever-popular tiramisu. One glaring hole in my culinary skill set is that I rarely make dessert. So I won't presume to offer a recipe for tiramisu but will instead say that I followed a widely available version from Emeril Lagasse swapping slow-brewed coffee for espresso and ice wine (or vin glacé, if you prefer) for vin santo. But, you can find my punchy recipe for Bourbon and Coffee Marinated Rib-Eye Steaks HERE...

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