Refreshing cold brews for scorching days

livemint.com:

1 cup coffee beans of choice
4 cups filtered water Method Grind the beans to a coarse consistency using a coffee grinder. In a 1.5-litre bottle or jar, combine the coffee with four cups of filtered water and stir well. Cover the jar and set aside for 8-12 hours depending on how strong you want it.

I prefer letting it steep in the fridge given that our room temperature is hitting over 35 degrees Celsius. Pass it through a fine-meshed sieve lined with a double layer of muslin cloth or through a nut-milk bag. Save the cold brew in an jar in the fridge.

This will last well for a week. Cold brew made this way is quite strong, so it is best to have it diluted. Combine one part cold brew with one part cold water or milk (dairy or alt milk) or serve over lots of ice.

Add a flavour of choice like orange syrup, hazelnut, caramel or vanilla. Makes 2 Ingredients
2 shots espresso (made in a espresso machine or mokapot)
2 bottles low-sugar tonic water (I love using Vaum’s Elderflower Rosemary Botanical water)
2 sprigs of rosemary
Lots of ice Method Make the espresso ahead of time and let it cool down to room temperature. Take a highball or Collins glass for this drink.

Half fill both the glasses with ice cubes. Pour the tonic water over the ice. Pour one shot of espresso each into the glasses and gently stir to mix.

Garnish with rosemary sprigs. You can also use simple soda instead of tonic, if the clash of flavours between the tonic water and espresso are not to your taste. Double Tested is a fortnightly column on vegetarian cooking, highlighting a single ingredient prepared two ways. Nandita Iyer’s latest book is The Great Indian Thali—Seasonal Vegetarian Wholesomeness (Roli Books). She posts @saffrontrail on Twitter and Instagram.