Coffee is something that I would drink no matter how hot a summer day is. I feel like I would always look for ways to enjoy coffee no matter what time of the day it is or even when the weather is not really coffee-friendly.
Hot weather and hot coffee somehow screams dehydration on a hot summer day. And the best way for us coffee enthusiasts to enjoy our caffeine is to drink it cold.
I am sure I am not the only one who cannot function for an entire day without one or more cups of coffee to fuel me up. That said, I have compiled 15 summer coffee drinks you can enjoy on a hot day.
15 Coffee Drink Ideas For The Summer
1. Maple Sea Salt Latte
Maple sea salt latte is a step away from the usual latte. Instead of sugar, you can now use maple syrup to sweeten your espresso.
Maple syrup has a complex flavour with vanilla, caramel, and prune notes, so it intensifies the flavours of your latte. It also complements well with the bitterness of the espresso.
With maple sea salt latte, you need to mix the espresso, milk, and maple syrup, then add ice to make it refreshing. To cut out some of the sweetness, sprinkle a pinch of sea salt on top before taking a sip.
If you want to make maple syrup latte at home, the ingredients and their measurements are as follows:
- 2 shots of espresso
- 10 ounces of the milk you prefer (I personally like oat milk for my latte)
- 1 tablespoon of maple syrup
- a pinch of salt
You need to combine all the liquids and add some ice so you can enjoy this and the other summer coffee drinks.
2. Iced Dalgona Coffee
Ah, dalgona coffee! Fluffy, creamy, and simply delicious that took the internet by storm during the pandemic!
Now this one is a bit overrated but is undoubtedly a must-have for the summer (don’t come for me, I instantly fell in love with this drink right after I saw how it looks.)
Dalgona coffee is made by combining:
- 2 tablespoons of instant coffee
- 2 tablespoons of granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons of cold water
- 10 ounces of milk
The first step in making this trendy coffee is to combine instant coffee, sugar, and cold water. Whip the ingredients as if whipping heavy cream until they are combined and turned into foam.
Now, set your coffee foam aside, get another glass, and fill it with your milk of choice. Since you want summer coffee drinks, you will also need to fill the glass with ice.
Finally, get your coffee foam and pour it on top of the milk and ice mixture. This drink tastes creamy with hints of bitterness and sweetness, so it goes perfectly well with salty snacks!
3. Iced Mocha
Summer coffee drinks are a great refreshment after the outdoor heat has sucked the energy out. It is sweet, creamy, and cold, with a hint of chocolate, so those who are chocolate lovers would love this combo!
And contrary to popular belief, iced mocha is by no means strong. The whipped cream and chocolate syrup added to it overpowers the espresso’s bitterness.
While the espresso gives it a robust taste, it serves as a unique touch to the drink, giving it a delicate aftertaste.
If you are not a fan of bold coffee, iced mocha is one of the ideal summer coffee drinks for you. Thanks to the oh-so-tasty chocolate syrup, you will barely taste the espresso in this drink.
To make iced mocha, you will need:
- a cup of strong brewed coffee
- a quarter cup chocolate syrup
- 1 cup milk (you can also use half and a half)
- sugar
- ice
Combine the coffee, milk, and sugar to make your iced mocha. Then, add a quarter cup of chocolate syrup, or you can add more if you want your summer coffee drinks to be more chocolatey.
Stir the ingredients until well-combined, add ice, and enjoy!
4. Iced Mexican Coffee
Yes, you heard it right, Mexican coffee but with ice.
If you have not heard of it, Mexican coffee is coffee brewed with sugar and cinnamon. And no, you don’t simply add the cinnamon and sugar to your coffee after brewing it.
Instead, you need to incorporate these two ingredients into the actual coffee brewing process. They add sweetness and spiciness to your coffee, making it taste unique.
Some people add ground cloves to their Mexican coffee for an extra kick.
This drink requires:
- 3/4 cup ground coffee
- 40 ounces water
- 2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
- 4 cinnamon sticks
- 3 1/2 ounces of refined brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon vanilla
- 3 ounces semi-sweet chocolate
- a splash of heavy cream (optional)
The recipe is pretty simple. After brewing your coffee with the sugar and cinnamon sticks for 10 to 15 minutes, place it in a glass and add the vanilla.
You can also add a splash of heavy cream if you want your coffee creamy. Finally, add ice and serve.
5. S’mores Iced Coffee
Who does not like s’mores? It is sweet and smooth, and the marshmallows on top of the drink are as soft as a cloud. But will you believe this popular camping snack makes one of the best summer coffee drinks?
S’mores iced coffee consists of the essential s’mores ingredients: chocolate, graham crackers, and marshmallows.
Now, this drink does not only taste good; it also looks fancy. After making your favourite iced mocha recipe, you need to top it off with gooey marshmallows, chocolate bars, and graham crackers.
The sweetness of the s’mores toppings contrasts the espresso’s bitterness, resulting in a beautiful flavour combination that’s perfect for a hot summer day.
6. Coffee Slushie
Coffee-flavoured slushies are popular summer coffee drinks. This drink is blended coffee and ice, so it is a perfect way to cool yourself during summer.
Coffee blended with ice is also called frappe. However, a coffee slushie is a lot simpler to make than a frappe, making it a go-to summer drink when you are in a rush.
To make a coffee slushie, you will need:
- ice cubes
- 2 cups of brewed coffee
- 2 tablespoons of sugar
- 1/4 cup of half and half
Just blend the ingredients until the ice cubes are crushed.
Alternatively, you can freeze the brewed coffee in ice cube molds. This will prevent the ice from making your slushie taste bland once it melts.
You can replace the type of coffee and milk that you want to use or add extra flavourings to make different summer coffee drinks.
7. Vietnamese Ice Cream Coffee
For people who like their coffee strong, Vietnamese iced coffee is one of the best summer coffee drinks. This brew will keep both of your eyes open for an entire day (probably for the whole night, too, if you have low caffeine tolerance.)
Vietnamese coffee consists of:
- 1 to 1/2 tablespoons coarse ground coffee
- 2 tablespoons sweetened condensed milk
- 8 ounces of hot water
Traditionally, Vietnamese coffee is prepared by brewing dark roast coffee into a metal dripper called phin. But if you do not have this equipment at home, you can use a regular coffee dripper to prepare your coffee.
Place the condensed milk in a 10-ounce glass. Next, position the dripper on top of the glass, add the coffee grounds, and pour enough water to cover the grounds.
Once the coffee grounds bloom, pour the remaining hot water and wait until the coffee flavours are extracted. Lastly, add ice and stir your Vietnamese iced coffee.
8. White Russian Coffee
This is not a drink you can try any time of the day. Rather, white Russian coffee is a drink you can try if you are looking for an alchoholic infused drink on a warm-weathered night.
White Russian coffee combines coffee, cream, and vodka served with ice. It tastes rich and sweet, with a hint of alcohol that washes away the sweetness in your mouth after every sip.
If you want to try this coffee cocktail, the best part: It is one of the easiest coffee liquors to make!
All you need are:
- 2 ounces of vodka
- an ounce of heavy cream
- a tablespoon of instant coffee
- a tablespoon of sugar
- an ounce of Kahlua
- ice
You need to mix the ingredients and you’ll have one of the fanciest summer coffee drinks.
9. Iced Coffee Lemonade
We all know how refreshing lemonade is. But have you ever tried adding coffee to it?
If not, then you’re missing out! Coffee lemonade is one of the most refreshing summer coffee drinks, although it seems like an odd combination.
It is like the espresso romano, but you will use lemonade instead of simply adding a lemon wedge to your coffee. The lemonade’s acidity gives your drink a bold, tangy, and fantastic taste.
The sourness from the lemon perfectly pairs with the espresso’s bitterness. It also adds a hint of sweetness, making it one of the perfect summer coffee drinks.
To make coffee lemonade, all you need to do is to combine a cup of cold brew coffee, a cup of lemonade, and 1/4 cup of simple syrup for some sweetness. Add some ice to make it more refreshing, and take a sip.
10. Mocha Coconut Frappe
One of the main components of caramel coconut frappe is coconut milk. And coconut is a popular summer refreshment, so adding it to coffee indeed makes it one of the best summer coffee drinks.
Another thing that makes coconut milk go well with coffee is that it’s not too creamy or sweet.
Coconut frappe uses strong cold brew coffee, which matches perfectly with coconut milk. For added sweetness, you can add chocolate syrup.
To make one of the most underrated summer coffee drinks, you will need:
- a cup of strong cold brew coffee
- a cup of coconut milk
- 1/2 cup chocolate syrup
- 1/2 cup shredded coconut
- 3 cups ice
- 1/4 cup chocolate syrup
All you need to do is blend all the ingredients until smooth. Alternatively, you can top the drink off with whipped cream, shredded coconut, and chocolate sauce.
11. Strawberry Horchata Latte
Sweet and tangy strawberry, creamy horchata, and bold espresso — these are the ingredients of one of the best summer coffee drinks. Strawberry horchata latte is a great drink to enjoy when you want to cool down after being in the sun for so long.
If you have not heard of it, horchata is made by soaking rice and cinnamon sticks overnight. The next day, you’ll blend your mixture, filter out the rice and cinnamon bits, and flavour the liquid with sugar and vanilla.
To make the strawberry horchata latte, you need:
- a cup of horchata
- one to two shots of espresso (depending on the strength you want)
- 1/4 cup sliced strawberries
- sugar to taste
- ice
To make your strawberry horchata latte, you need to blend the horchata and strawberries. Then, mix the espresso with the strawberry horchata, add sugar to your taste, and serve with ice.
12. Cold Mango Coffee
Mango is a popular summer fruit. And if you have not tried it yet, mango and coffee make the best pairing, thus giving you one of the most thick coffee drinks ever!
Mango has sweetness and a hint of acidity that blends with the bitterness of brewed coffee. It also brightens coffee, bringing your drink to a new level.
If you want to try cold mango coffee, you will need:
- 8 ounces of cold brew coffee
- 1/4 cup frozen diced mangoes
- sweetened coffee creamer
First, blend the mangoes until it turns into a purée. Alternatively, you can place the mangoes in a tall glass and crush them until you reach your desired consistency.
Then, pour the coffee on top, froth the coffee creamer, and top your mango coffee with it. Take a sip, and you’ll be surprised by how good this drink is.
13. Iced Honey Lavender Latte
Drinks with slight floral notes are perfect for the summer. So, how do you add floral notes to your latte?
Simple. Infuse it with lavender! To make your latte one of the tastiest summer coffee drinks, you can add honey for some nuttiness and sweetness.
Honey lavender latte tastes light, floral, and creamy. It is perfect for people who dislike espresso’s intense flavours.
This drink is also not too sweet. As a matter of fact, the flavour of each ingredient blend with each other in an outstanding balance.
To make the honey lavender latte, the ingredients are:
- 2 ounces of extra strong coffee
- 4 ounces of oat milk
- 2 ounces water
- 2 ounces honey
- a teaspoon of dried lavender flowers
- ice
The first thing you need to do when making this summer drink is to create a simple syrup. To do this, combine water, honey, and lavender flowers into a saucepan and simmer until the honey combines with the water.
Turn off the heat and let the syrup sit for 20 minutes so the lavender infuses.
While waiting for the simple syrup, make the latte by combining the coffee and oat milk. Get your simple syrup and pour two teaspoons of it into your latte.
You can add more honey if you want to adjust the taste. Finally, add ice to your drink.
14. Cold Brew Affogato
Who can resist a good scoop of ice cream on a hot summer day? But have you ever tried adding it to your cold brew coffee?
If not, then it is high time that you do! Cold-brew affogato is a balance of sweetness, creaminess, and bitterness so you will enjoy every sip.
To make this drink, you need to combine:
- 4 ounces of strong cold brew coffee
- 3 scoops of vanilla ice cream
- chocolate chips, nuts, and crushed cookies for garnish
The steps to making cold brew affogato are pretty straightforward. You only need to place three scoops of vanilla ice cream in a glass and pour four ounces into it.
Top your affogato off chocolate chips, nuts, and crushed cookies to add texture. Cold brew affogato is one of the most popular and delicious summer coffee drinks you can enjoy anytime.
15. Nutella Iced Coffee
I am sure every coffee lover has tried adding a scoop of Nutella into their coffee. I mean, who would not love the goodness of this bittersweet combination?
Nutella iced coffee is one most fascinating summer coffee drinks that you can try. If you want this drink thicker, you can blend it with ice cubes and turn it into a frappe.
To make Nutella iced coffee, you need:
- 4 ounces of milk
- a shot of espresso
- 100 ml hot water
- 1 tablespoon of Nutella
First, get a heat-proof glass and fill it with milk, espresso, and ice. In another heat-safe container, mix the hot water and Nutella until thoroughly combined.
Lastly, pour the Nutella mixture into the glass filled with milk and espresso. You can make this drink in as fast as five minutes, so it’s a quick way to enjoy a cold, sweet beverage during the summer.
Also Read: Best Latte Flavors Combinations: 18 Unique Ideas
Final Thoughts
By now, you are probably reading this blog while sipping one of the summer coffee drinks above.
There is no better way to enjoy the summer than drinking cold coffee. Since coffee is a versatile beverage, you can create your own recipe by mixing and matching some of your favourite flavours.
If you enjoyed this article, feel free to tell us your thoughts by leaving a comment in the comment box down below!