Shaken Orange Vanilla Cold Brew

Orange is a flavor that plays very well with creamy textures, especially when paired with sweet and smooth notes like vanilla. This shaken cold brew mocktail is a refreshing and crowd pleasing sipper that can keep you cool and caffeinated at the same time. I was inspired by a recipe I learned from JURA's David Shull called Freshspresso that combined espresso, orange juice and simple syrup. For this particular recipe I opted to use cold brew rather than espresso as the resulting drink is ultimately smoother, though espresso is still an option for someone looking for a more coffee forward interpretation.

Recipe Details

• Complexity - Medium
• Serves - 1
• Prep Time - 16 Hr (cold brew) | 10 Min Drink Prep
• Cost - ($$)

Ingredients

• Orange Juice (freshly squeezed) - 4.5 fl oz / 133 ml
• Cold Brew Coffee | 1:10 Ratio - 3 fl oz / 89 ml
  • Espresso | 1:2 Ratio - 2 fl oz / 59 ml
• Vanilla Simple Syrup | 1:1 Ratio - 0.5 fl oz / 15 ml
• Bruised Lilac Flowers - 3 - 4

Equipment

• Varia STEEP / French Press
• Cocktail Shaker
• Cutting Board
• Pairing Knife
• Medium Saucepan
• Citrus Juicer
• Hawthorne Strainer
• Mesh Strainer

A Note on Orange Juice and Cold Brew

When using orange juice as an ingredient for drinks, my preference is to always opt for freshly squeezed over something off the shelf. Store bought orange juice often contains additives and preservatives that can increase acidity to unpleasant levels. Oranges are naturally very sweet and so is fresh orange juice.

For your cold brew, we recommend making it fresh using our recipe with a sweeter and smoother coffee. The vanilla in this recipe will help round things out, but less expensive pre-made cold brews tend to use lower quality, medium to dark roasted coffees that tend to have more of an earthy and burnt finish that persists as an unpleasant note in recipes like these. We used our Buzzopolis espresso blend which is naturally very citrusy and creamy so it was the perfect match flavor wise and has a bit more body thanks to its honey and natural process components.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Prepare Your Cold Brew

Making cold brew is easy, especially if you're using the Varia STEEP like we did. We suggest a 1:10 ratio here using 60g of coffee and 600 ml of water. If you don't have a STEEP you can also use a French press, just take care that the plunger is not in contact with your coffee while infusing to avoid imparting any metallic taste to your coffee and double filter through paper after steeping.

Prepare Your Syrup

After you've prepared your cold brew, you'll have plenty of time to make your simple syrup. If you have difficulty finding a vanilla bean, you can use vanilla extract as an alternative, though we recommend using a bean if possible. Cut lengthwise along the edge of the vanilla bean pod to split it down the center.

For this recipe a 1:1 simple syrup works well as the natural sweetness of the orange juice is already present. Start by cutting your vanilla bean pod vertically and scrape out the contents with a spoon. Bring 1/2 cup of filtered water to a simmer in a medium saucepan, then add your vanilla bean pod and seeds along with 1/2 cup of granulated sugar, whisking until the sugar is completely dissolved. At this point you can continue steeping for more intense vanilla flavor before removing the syrup from the heat. Discard the vanilla bean pod before bottling.

Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. This syrup is perfect for flavored lattes, milkshakes, and anything else that needs a pop of vanilla flavor.

Measure, Combine & Shake

Combine your orange juice, cold brew and vanilla syrup in a cocktail shaker. Add ice and shake hard for 10 - 15 seconds. Shaking horizontally at high intensity will help to rapidly chill all of your ingredients and you'll produce more foam the harder you shake. If you don't have cold brew, you can substitute a shot of espresso as an alternative. If you do, add a little more ice to compensate. Using espresso will produce a more coffee forward variation of the drink with a larger head of foam.

Double Strain

This drink is served "up" meaning that after shaking and chilling it, it's served without additional ice. The orange juice and vanilla provide a sweet and creamy profile in this drink that benefits from additional straining in order to preserve its texture and mouthfeel. Double straining uses one strainer (typically a Hawthorne strainer) to hold back large pieces of ice while a second mesh strainer catches the smaller pieces. Any kind of fine metal mesh can be used for straining small pieces and a large spoon can be used as a sub for a Hawthorne strainer.

Garnish and Serve

Finish your drink by floating several flowers or flower petals on the surface of your foam. We used lilacs which are local to Rochester. Bruise the flowers by clapping them between your hands to release the aromatic oils and place them on the foam. If you don't have lilacs, feel free to experiment with other food safe flowers, or you can always use grated dark chocolate for a more decadent alternative.

Photography by Grace Walker

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