Iced Dirty Chai
One of my favourite treats when I used to live in Lausanne was to have a dirty chai at one of my favourite coffee shops there, Sleepy Bear. It was as if the chai latte and strong coffee had had a delicious, spicy baby I just couldn’t get enough of.
In the summer, it all became even better, as I could have it iced and therefore making it into what to me is, the perfect coffee drink.
A few months into my move to Zürich, I started thinking about it a lot. Of course, part of me was also missing the community that came with going to that coffee shop, where you would always see familiar faces, the barista knew you by name and drink, and there was also a sweet treat available to accompany your coffee.
However, much as I was unable to make the owners of Sleepy Bear to move to Zürich with me (I have asked!), I was able to try and remake this delicious drink at home. And today I am happy to relay that I have come very close to theirs. The addition of the vanilla cold cream (which is totally optional) is my own invention and it comes from my love of anything cold cream at Starbucks. After all, you can’t have too much of a good thing when it comes to iced coffee, right?
The only finicky thing about this recipe is making the chai syrup. What brand of tea you use will have some impact on the final taste so make sure you use your favourite (I used this one).
Everything else comes together smoothly: shake the espresso with the chai syrup (this ensures that the syrup is very well mixed. If you don’t have a shaker (or the motivation to be shaking things up early in the morning) a thorough mixing, preferably over ice, will do. Serve over ice, top with milk and the cold cream and you’re golden.
My milk of choice today was oat but any dairy or nut milk will work perfectly fine. You can also adjust the quantity depending on how milky you like your coffee drinks - after all, that is the magic of making them at home.
Ingredients
For the chai syrup (makes 1 cup syrup)
1 cup sugar
1 cup water
3-4 teabags or 3-4 tablespoons loose black chai
For the Iced Dirty Chai with a Cold Vanilla Cream (1 drink)
ice
50ml/1 shot espresso (you can double it)
1-2 tbsp chai syrup
100ml (1/2 cup) milk of choice
50ml (1/4 cup) heavy cream
1 tsp vanilla syrup (or 1 tsp sugar and 1 tsp vanilla extract)
Start by making the syrup. In a pan combine water and sugar, bring to a boil and make sure sugar is dissolved. Add the teabags/loose tea and let infuse 15 minutes. Strain into a jar. Thos will keep well in the fridge for a month.
Make a strong shot of espresso.
To make your drink. In a shaker combine espresso, ice and chai syrup. Shake well until the walls of the shaker are frosty.
Make the vanilla cold foam. Combine cream and vanilla syrup, mix well, preferably with a milk frother.
In a fresh glass, add ice. Strain the shaken espresso over it. Top up with milk to your liking and finish with the cold cream. Enjoy!