3 Coffee Drink Recipes You Can Make With Basic Home Gear

You do not need a commercial machine to make café-style drinks at home. These three recipes only need a basic brewing setup and a little attention to technique.

1. Classic Iced Latte

Pull or brew a strong shot of coffee, roughly double the strength of a normal cup. Fill a glass with ice, pour in cold milk of your choice, and pour the hot coffee over the top so it settles through the ice and milk. Give it one stir. Brewing it strong is the part people skip, and it is the part that keeps the drink from tasting watered down once the ice starts melting.

2. Cold Foam Cold Brew

Start with cold brew concentrate diluted with water or milk to taste over ice. For the foam, add a splash of milk (dairy or oat both work) to a small jar with a pinch of sugar, seal it, and shake vigorously for about thirty seconds until it thickens, then spoon it on top. No milk frother required, just a jar and some effort.

3. Cinnamon Honey Cortado

Pull a shot of espresso into a small glass. Warm an equal amount of milk (about the same volume as the espresso) and whisk it briefly to create light microfoam rather than a thick foam. Stir a half teaspoon of honey and a small pinch of cinnamon into the espresso first, then pour the warm milk over it. The espresso-to-milk ratio is what makes a cortado different from a latte, so keep the milk close to equal, not double or triple.

All three come down to having a consistent grind and a reliable shot, more than any special equipment. Our Brewing Essentials collection has the basics to make these repeatable.