Espresso tonic - coffee that cools down in summer

History of Espresso Tonic

Koppi Roasterscafé in Helsingborg wasthe very first to come up with this amazing drink in 2007. Yes, even in Sweden someone needed to cool down and it came into being by complete accident. Anne Lunell, one of the co-founders of Koppi Roasters, revealed how the idea for this drink was born.

"When Charles Nystrand and I were working in Oslo 12 years ago, one of our colleagues brewed a coffee drink the day after a staff party. There was some tonic left over, which he mixed with some syrup and espresso. It was quite refreshing and delicious. So a few months later, when we opened our café in Helsingborg, we refined the idea even further and included a menu called Kaffe&Tonic."

ⓘ Today there are already a multitude of variations on how to prepare this delicious summer coffee drink.

Slowly pour the espresso through a spoon into the glass.

Coffee and tonic in many ways

To begin with, the preparation of Espresso Tonic is very simple. It should also be stated that there are a large number of different types of tonics and espresso roasts. Therefore, it is understandable that the final taste can very often vary if you swap at least one of these 2 basic ingredients.

If you were to ask founder Anna Lunell what her favourite coffee and tonic combination is, she would prefer the Mediterranean flavoured Fever Treetonic. It has a citrusy twist and its bright flavor matches the beans of her favorite coffee. Her preferred espresso for the combination is fruity, so she would choose Ethiopian or Kenyan coffee. But she certainly wouldn't go wrong if she chose a more acidic and brighter coffee from Colombia. Therefore, there are many combinations.

How to make Espresso Tonic

As mentioned above, the preparation is very easy. Of course, you can already get something wrong before preparing this refreshing summer drink, so be careful.

Before preparing, make sure that:

  • You have enough ice.
  • You have the tonic chilled from the fridge. It should froth when you open it.
  • The espresso should be chilled with ice immediately after extraction. When the espresso is cold enough, remove the ice so that the espresso is not too diluted.

Have you heard of the Cold Brew tonicoption ?

Instead of using espresso, we use Cold Brew, which is very popular in the USA, for example, and which does not come into contact with hot water at all during preparation. This, of course, makes it different from classic iced coffee recipes. It takes up to 24 hours to prepare, so you need to be very patient. Cold Brew and tonic, however, complement each other very nicely and it is worth trying this drink. We can even add cherries to enhance the flavour even more.

Try replacing the Espresso Tonic variant with Cold Brew. You won't go wrong with this choice either.

Cold Brew Tonic can be prepared at home.

Recipe for Espresso Tonic

The recipe for the espresso tonic itself is very simple. You don't even need to have a coffee machine at home, because you can substitute any homemade version of espresso from a Moka pot or AeroPress. But if you're making a summer drink from a Moka pot, you'll need to get the name right! It is a "mocha tonic".

To make an espresso tonic you will need:

First, throw ice cubes into a chilled glass and pour the tonic over them. Then very carefully spoon the espresso onto the tonic. This way, the tonic will be beautifully separated from the espresso and you can flash your pro creation and throw it on Instagram. You can prepare a delicious espresso in one of the selected espresso machines.

40 g Espresso
80 g your favourite tonic (I really recommend trying Fever Tree, but also the very famous Schweppes )
a few pieces ice
1 slice lemon for garnish
Alternate Cold Brew Tonic made from:
The procedure is the same as for Espresso Tonic. Again, you need to throw ice into the glass, pour in the tonic and slowly add the coffee concentrate.

If you want a stronger version of a cold brew drink, use a 1:1 ratio.

40 g of cold brew coffee concentrate
80 g tonic water
a few pieces ice

Recipe for Espresso Gin Tonic

Is your favourite party drink a gin tonic? If so, you might be interested in a spicier version of the drink called an espresso gin tonic. Again, the preparation is quite simple and similar to an espresso tonic. If you don't have a coffee machine at home, you can use the Cold Brew variant.

For Espresso Gin Tonic you will need:

Fill a glass with ice and pour in 30 ml of gin. Then pour in about 1 dcl of tonic and start slowly pouring in the espresso or cold brew. If you have any tonic left, you can fill the remaining space in the glass with tonic water.

40 g Espressa/Cold Brew
1 dcl tonic (classic, but also flavoured - rose, elderflower, lemon)
30 ml gin (if you want a sweeter drink, use pink)
a couple of pieces ice

Which coffee and tonic drink will be your favourite?

You know the right way to make drinks, the recipes are very simple. There is nothing stopping you from making the perfect espresso tonic, cold brew tonic or party drink espresso gin tonic. It's up to you which of these refreshing summer drinks you choose. Whichever you choose, you won't go wrong with either.

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