8 Cold Brew and Summer Espresso Drinks to Make at Home

Match Your Mood With the Cold Coffee of Your Dreams

Creating the perfect coffee drink is as much an art as it is a skill. Whether you’re looking to fuel your summer parties with a boozy espresso martini or “cold fashioned” (a coffee-forward twist on the bar classic), or you prefer an iced vanilla latte to set a sweet tone for your morning, cold coffee is a versatile base for refreshing drinks of all kinds. 

As the maker of a patent technology that ensures your at-home cold brew and espresso is cool from the first sip to the last, Cumulus has rounded up some of its best specialty coffee drink recipes that are sure to keep you and your guests cool, energized and coming back for more.  

Here are some of the best cold brew coffee and espresso drink recipes you can make at home.

Iced Vanilla Latte

An iced vanilla is as decadent as it is flexible. Drink it first thing in the morning as a delicious way to get your caffeine for the day, or make it for guests for your afternoon get-together. 

Here’s how to make an iced vanilla latte at home: 

• Fill your glass with ice. Espresso made by Cumulus’ at-home cold brew machine already comes chilled, but to put the “iced” in “iced vanilla latte,” choose your ice cube of choice.
• Add 0.75 ounces Madagascar Vanilla Syrup. Cumulus’ in-house vanilla syrup isn’t like others on the market – this artisanal syrup is made from Madagascaran vanilla pods and created to blend smoothly and evenly with cold brew coffee. 
• Add 8 ounces of your choice of milk. No right or wrong answers here – choose the milk that fits your dietary preference.
• Pour Sospeso Light Espresso on top. Cumulus’ Sospeso roast is light with notes of brown sugar and vanilla, creating the perfect base for a sweet iced vanilla latte. 
• Stir. Give your drink a twirl and enjoy! If you’d prefer, you can add a sprinkle of cardamom to really complete the flavor profile of your iced vanilla latte. 

Iced Shaken Espresso

An iced shaken espresso combines the elegance of a coffee-house grade drink with the art of mixology and shaking up the right recipe. 

To make your own iced shaken espresso at home, follow these steps:

• Fill a glass with ice. Any ice will do. If you’re in need of a cold coffee or cold brew glass, we recommend Cumulus’ own cold espresso or cold brew glasses, which have double walls made especially for holding chilled drinks. 
• Mix 6 ounces (150 milliliters) of oat milk with 1 ounce Cinnamon Demerara Syrup. This artisanal syrup from Cumulus has carmel notes and natural spice, making it a divine choice to blend with oat milk for your shaken espresso.
• Pour Oat Milk Mix over ice. 
• Add Sospesso light espresso to your shaker. In a separate glass like a shaker, add your Sospeso brew and shake it up. 
• Pour your shaken Sospeso blend on top of your glass filled with ice and oat milk mix. Enjoy.

Cold Fashioned

Who says drinking cold brew has to be predictable?

For those wanting to add a twist and some creativity to their cold coffee drink, follow along for the best cold fashioned recipe:

• Brew Ritual Dark Cold Brew. This dark roast favorite, curated expertly by Cumulus, has notes of chocolate lace, glacé caramel and crunchy nuts and mimics the strong base of a classic old fashioned. 
• Add 1 ounce Cumulus Orange Piloncillo Syrup. This house-made syrup is from Mexican piloncillo – a raw and unprocessed can sugar. Like other Cumulus syrups, it’s crafted to blend seamlessly with cold brew and cold coffee.  
• Twist orange peel over the beverage and garnish. Add this classic finish to your cold fashioned and enjoy your creative cold brew drink.

Cold Brew Palmer

Nothing’s sweeter in the summertime than this extra-caffeinated twist on the Arnold Palmer, which blends lemonade with iced tea in equal measure. 

For a cold-brew take on the classic Arnold Palmer, follow this recipe: 

• Brew a capsule of Cumulus’s Lucid cold brew. Lucid has citrus and cherry notes with an undertone of honey. 
• Add 1 ounce of Yuzu Limoncello Syrup and stir. Yuzu Limoncello is Cumulus’s house-made syrup blended to pair specifically with Lucid. 
• Twist a lemon peel over the beverage for a garnish.

Mole Nitro

Don’t let the simplicity of this drink trick you – this cold drink centers on Cumulus’s Valor brew, a medium-dark brew for those who appreciate a strong flavor profile. 

Here’s how to make Cumulus’s Mole nitro:

• Add .75 ounces of Mole syrup to a glass.
• Brew a capsule of Valor directly on top. Valor has notes of fulsome dark cocoa and musky cedar.  
• Stir and enjoy for refreshment during any time of day.

Vodka Espresso Martini for Two

The only thing better than a smooth and delicious espresso martini is drinking that espresso martini with a friend. 

Luckily for you, Cumulus’s specialty coffee blends and decadent syrups make for the smoothest espresso martinis around. Here’s how to make your own vodka espresso martini at home:

• Pour one serving of Sospeso Medium or Ritual Decaf Espresso into a shaker. The Sospeso medium blend by Cumulus has notes of sweet caramel, ardent roast toast and a nutty complexity. The Ritual decaf blend, on the other hand, has notes of chocolate, fragrant berries and vanilla. The most important factor in choosing between a blend is whether you want caffeine – if you want the buzz, don’t go decaf. But you can also select your espresso martini brew based on your preferred favorite flavor profile. 
• Add 1 ounce Madagascar Vanilla Syrup. This smooth and sweet syrup is a must for the perfect espresso martini. 
• Add 0.5 ounces of Cumulus’s Dark Chocolate Syrup. To take your vodka espresso martini to the next level, you’ll need to utilize a chocolate flavor like Cumulus’s Dark Chocolate Syrup. 
• If serving as a cocktail with alcohol, add 4 ounces of your preferred Vodka (21+). The espresso martini can also be enjoyed as virgin cocktail or “mocktail.”
• Add ice and shake to mix. 
• Pour mixture evenly into two chilled martini glasses. For one easy way to chill your martini glass, add ice to your glasses while you make your vodka expresso martini. After your drink is shaken and you’re ready to serve, dump the ice out of the martini glasses right before you pour.

Tequila Espresso Martini for Two

A tequila espresso martini is exactly what it sounds like – a tequila take on the classic espresso martini. 

To make your own tequila espresso martini at home, follow Cumulus’s easy and delicious recipe:

• Pour one serving of Sospeso Medium or Ritual Decaf espresso into a shaker. Like for the vodka espresso martini, which Cumulus espresso blend you choose will depend on whether you want a caffeinated roast with notes of caramel and nuts (Sospeso) or a decaffeinated roast (Ritual Decaf) with notes of chocolate, vanilla and berries. 
• Add 1.5 ounces Orange Piloncillo Syrup. This is where the tequila espresso martini deviates from the vodka espresso martini – this sweet syrup contains an orange zest for a citrus addition to your drink. 
• If mixing as a cocktail, add 4 ounces of your tequila of choice (21+). This drink can also be enjoyed alcohol-free. 
• Add ice to your shaker and lightly shake to mix. 
• Pour mixture into two chilled martini glasses. 
• To complete and perfect your drink, garnish with cocoa powder for a chocolatey addition, or gold leaf. Enjoy!