The dog days of summer beg for a cool and refreshing drink, and life begs for coffee. The espresso tonic answers both callings, brilliantly.
The drink has humble beginnings, born at Koppi Roasters Cafe in Helsingborg, Sweden. According to Anne Lunell, one of the founders, espresso tonic was created after a staff party with leftover tonic, a little syrup and espresso in 2007. Upon opening the cafe, the drink Kaffe & Tonic became part of menu. For the next 10 years, the K & T was the most popular cold drink served.
“At least 95% of all iced coffees we sold was Kaffe & Tonic,” Lunell said in an interview with EuropeanCoffeeTrip.com. “Another reason why it has spread so widely is likely that it is very Instagrammable. It just looks really cool and delicious.”
While coffee is the rock star of the drink, tonic does make a difference. Tonic is a mixture of water, sweetener, citric acid, quinine and, sometimes, flavoring. Quinine, the bitter compound, is derived from the bark of the cinchona tree and is a common treatment for malaria in large doses.
Using tonic with bright and acidic notes will result in the most complex outcome. East Imperial, available at us.eastimperial.com, is a floral and botanical Old World blend. Fever-Tree is a lighter, sweeter mixture, and the Mediterranean flavor tends to be a favorite in recipes, and is widely available. Schweppes is citrusy. Q is a less sweet, more bitter tonic. Three Cents Aegean, available at Pogo’s Wine and Spirits, is an herbaceous blend with cucumber and basil notes, and is created by pumping carbon dioxide into the drink at high pressure so it remains extra fizzy for a longer period of time.
The espresso tonic’s attraction is the perfect balance of the coffee’s acidity, the tonic’s fruitiness, bitterness and sweetness, and the resulting combination. Incredibly refreshing! Local coffee shops agree, embracing the Insta-worthy trend.
At Katy Coffee Lab in Dallas, the barista team has a twist that replaces tonic with Topo Chico and fresh-squeezed lemon juice. Using the single-origin light roasted coffee, El Desarollo, from Colombia, results are complex and bright. The coffee shop opened in June 2019, serving its version of espresso tonic from the start. According to the team, they changed the tonic to Topo Chico, looking to make the drink a hometown beverage.
Ascension Coffee, with multiple locations in Dallas-Fort Worth, started serving espresso tonic in 2012 and has seen significant growth recently. Roberto Grimaldo, manager of the Oak Lawn shop, describes its espresso tonic ― made with Ascension’s signature Levitate espresso blend ― as having Tabasco, dark chocolate and caramel notes. Combined with Fever-Tree Mediterranean Tonic, the result is a foamy refreshing cold coffee drink, just what a Texan needs in the summer heat.
To make an espresso tonic at home, use espresso if you have a machine, or go with cold brew. Cold brew has a lowered bitterness and elevated fruitiness that works well in the drink. While this is hardly a recipe, a garnish of either citrus or cherries adds a startling change to the flavor profile. If you wish to experiment, a dash or two of bitters is a good addition. Try cherry bitters with cherry garnish to layer flavors. All ingredients should be cold for the best outcome.
Espresso Tonic With Cold Brew
4 to 6 ounces artisan tonic of choice, chilled
2 ounces cold-brewed coffee
Sliced lemons, limes or cherries, for garnish
Fill glass to the top with ice. Add tonic to 3/4 full. Top with cold-brewed coffee. Garnish. Drink immediately.
Makes 1 drink.
