3.31.16 Cold Brew Dirty Chai
Have I mentioned that since having a baby, I’ve gone from long-time coffee hater, to having a cup every morning? Usually not a full cup if I can avoid it, but yes, I’ve become - dare I say it - a coffee drinker. Granted, it’s only by necessity - I still wouldn’t say I like coffee. I just like my days a little better when there’s some coffee induced caffeine involved.
Lord knows that when the baby starts up a fun little bout of sleep regression and goes back to waking up every few hours during the night, some serious caffeination is going to be required. If we add to this the fact all this fun sleep (or rather, lack thereof) business came about while Forrest happened to be out of town on a work trip, you can probably see where my mind was going when I came up with this little (and shall we say quite possibly lifesaving) beverage.
At my overtired wits end, I took coffee consumption to the next level and made it a bit more palatable by making it into cold brew (aka the best version of coffee) and adding in some iced chai, maple syrup, and a splash of half and half. What you end up with is a refreshingly sweet and spicy beverage that’ll still get you some much needed caffeine, but with just a little less coffeeness all around. Oh, and most importantly, armed with a shot of bourbon, it’s incredibly easy to turn said beverage into a cocktail should the need arise (trust me, it will).
Cold Brew Dirty Chai
Makes 1
I realize that a true dirty chai has espresso rather than coffee, but one can only ask so much of newly minted coffee drinker. Feel free to swap the cold brew for a smaller amount of iced espresso (1-2 oz depending on how tired you’re feeling). I highly recommend making extra large batches of cold brew and iced chai ahead of time, and you’ll be able to whip up one of these at a moment’s notice.
- ½ cup cold brew coffee
- ½ cup iced chai tea*
- 1.5 ounces Bourbon (optional)
- 1 ½ Tbsp half and half
- 1 tsp maple syrup (or more to taste)
1. Pour all ingredients into a glass over ice. Stir to combine, then drink up!
*Brew chai tea hot, transfer to a heat resistant container (mason jars work great for this) and transfer to the refrigerator. Let chill for several hours. You can use a premixed chai tea blend, or make your own from scratch (omit the sugar/honey and milk for this recipe).
