"Cold Awakening"-Iced Cardamom Coffee Drink: A Cool & Creamy "Simple Saturday Sipper"

A serious lack of our tradewinds this week have made it feel hot and humid, two things I am not a fan of. I needed a "Simple Saturday Sipper" that would cool me down and wake me up enough to get me through another couple of hours editing on a consulting project. I found a recipe for a "Cold Awakening" in Drink to Your Health: Delicious Juices, Teas, Soups and Smoothies That Help You Look and Feel Great, by Anne McIntyre. Kind of like a cross between an iced coffee and a chai latte, it sounded like the perfect pick me up for a too warm afternoon.

McIntyre says: "When nothing other than a cup of real coffee will do to enable you to finish that job you have been putting off for weeks, try this spicy version of iced coffee. It is particularly refreshing on a hot summer's day after a good lunch when lethargy might be threatening, albeit rather pleasantly, to take over the brain. The Middle Eastern tradition of combining cardamon with with coffee works as a treat and tastes delicious."

Cold Awakening

Drink to Your Health, Anne McIntyre

(Makes 2-3 Servings)

1 Tbsp freshly ground coffee

1 tsp ground nutmeg

1 tsp ground cardamom

2 1/2 cups boiling water

2 Tbsp vanilla ice cream

1 Tbsp honey

ice cubes

a little ground cardamom to garnish

Place the ground coffee, nutmeg, and cardamom in a pot and pour boiling water over. Leave to stand until cold. Strain into a bowl or blender and beat or blend with the ice cream and honey. Pour into glasses over ice cubes and sprinkle with ground cardamom. 

Notes/Results: Cold, creamy and exotically flavorful, this is a very tasty drink. I used a bit less nutmeg than the recipe called for because it isn't my favorite spice and I wanted the cardamom to stand out a bit more. I also put a small scoop of ice cream in, (probably double the 2 Tbsp the recipe called for) to make it a bit creamier. Perfect in a tall glass over ice, topped off with a bit of whip cream and garnished with some cocoa nibs, it hit the spot and was a nice afternoon indulgence.

Happy Weekend!