DIY Cold Brew Coffee with Maple Syrup & Coconut Cream

Following a pretty heavy couple of weeks talking exclusively about craft beer, lots of opinion pieces and general ranting, I thought I'd better show you (and the rest of the Vinspire team) that there is more to me than just craft beer.

In fact, lots more. Because this week's blog isn't just beer free, its also ALCOHOL & DAIRY FREE!

Fear not readers, I have not had a personality transplant, but I remembered Laura's post back in October on Sandows Cold Brew Coffee, reworked a couple of recipe and cocktail ideas and OH MY JESUS it's good. Cold brew gives a sweeter, more relaxed, fruity-tasting coffee, and here I've served it with coconut cream & maple syrup.

So, here's how to make it...

How To Make Cold Brew Coffee at Home

• Firstly, find a decent coffee! I use Lulu Coffee at home and in my pubs; it's batch-roasted in Hertfordshire and doesn't give me that horrible coffee-drunk buzz that so many people complain about. Its balanced, fresh and earthy!
  
• Place around 120g of ground espresso coffee in a mixing bowl or jug and cover with 1 litre of cold, preferably filtered water.
  
• Stir it all in and leave to sit for 15 minutes. There should be a foamy crust on top of the coffee. Stir again, mixing the coffee with the water further. Cover with a clean, damp cloth or cling film and leave on the kitchen top for 24 hours.

• After 24 hours, strain the coffee mixture twice through coffee filter paper, or some muslin. I like a strong coffee, so I dilute with a 1:1 coffee:water ratio, but you can drop down to 2:3 coffee to water. Alternatively, you could just pick up a bottle by producers like Sandows who have done all the hard work for you :-)
  
• At this stage, a lot of baristas recommend adding a pinch of sea salt to bring out loads of flavour; I haven't tried this yet, but some people swear by it.

Cold Brew Coffee Cocktail with Maple Syrup and Coconut Cream

• Open your can of coconut cream and pop it in a container to mix. Add in maple syrup to taste - it's best when it's sweetish, but not coma-inducing. Add a touch of vanilla extract. Stir until all combined, and into the fridge it goes to cool.
  
• Grab a glass with loads of ice, pour over a portion of your cold-brew coffee and then drop in a generous amount of your sweetened coconut cream (depending on how creamy and sweet you want your cocktail to be).
  
• Of course, it would be uncouth of me to not offer a boozy alternative, so feel free to 'spill' a generous glug of good rum conveniently into the glass. Damn that pesky Diplomatico Reserva. It is one hell of a Rum though.

Boom. Cold Brew Coffee. Done!