Pretend you're a cooking blog day!

Yesterday, here, we got to talking about coffee at work. When I say we, I mean me, but you did all the hard work of having to care about what someone else had to say- always more challenging than people like to let on. I got to the coffee drink I invented and drink throughout the hotter parts of the summer and realized it was a sufficiently different discussion to warrant a new blog post. I'm delighted to have your attention, but, as per the merciless instant gratification protocols of the internet, don't like to keep you too long. Plus it's always just a teensy relief knowing my next blog subject, not that I don't mind winging it occasionally. I'm very brave.

I'd like to call this drink "The Calypso" but can't think of any reasonable justification for that and really just call it a coffee spritzer. I drank one today, and yesterday, and the day before. It is July. Simply enough the drink is cold press coffee, maple syrup, sparkling water, and whole milk. The sparkling water magically brings out the hidden flavors of the coffee, the maple syrup deepens and enriches them, and the milk smooths and weaves it all together.

I am more a cook-as-you-go kind of cook, and I have never formally written a recipe, even for a drink, but for fun, and since today is Pretend You're a Cooking Blog Day, I present:

The Calypso Coffee Spritzer

Ingredients:

Organic Cold Press Coffee

Maple Syrup

Sparkling Water

Organic Whole Milk

Ice Cubes or Coffee Ice Cubes (both optional)

For the cold press:

Take coarsely ground coffee (as freshly ground as possible), I like Bolivian coffees. Ha! Who am I kidding. I get whatever organic coffee is on sale- Peace Coffee, Equal Exchange, whatever roaster/importer you've got where you live. Mix one part coffee and four parts water. Let sit out (or in refrigerator) for 10 to 24 hours. I make mine in a french press. Strain, chill cold press. If you want to go the fancy route pour some cold press in an ice cube tray for coffee ice cubes.

Assembling the drink:

In a glass put two ice cubes, no ice cubes, or two coffee ice cubes.

Pour in two scant finger-fulls of  maple syrup (more towards three fingers if you like rather sweet, one finger or a bit less for something low key, or because maple syrup is magnificently expensive).

Add cold press to fill glass 2/3 full.

Stir

Add, in equal proportions, to fill:

Sparkling water (I love Apollonaris, but anything is fine in this).

And, finishing with, Organic Whole Milk (you can't use non-organic milk as it will cause a chemical chain reaction, exploding the beverage, causing shards of glass to embed into the kitchen walls, narrowly missing your nose. If you are crazy, young, a daredevil, an athlete, celebrating, or hosting a garden party you can use organic half and half or even cream).

Always add the milk last, and it will fall prettily through the drinks. Don't stir.

Cheers.