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Cool Off Your Summer By Making Cold Brew Coffee

CHICAGO (CBS) -- Backlot Coffee is a local coffee shop with locations in Evanston and Chicago that has adopted sustainable practices and locally sourced good when available.

The company is celebrating a couple of special anniversaries. In the CBS studio to talk about them is Backlot co-owner Isaac Bloom to teach everyone how to make cold brew coffee.

"We're coming up on a two year anniversary for our shop in Evanston and in just two months we're going to be celebrating our one year anniversary of our second location in the Old Irving Park neighborhood," said Bloom.

What sets cold brew apart from other types of coffee making?

"Cold brew is a wonderful technique to remove some of the bitterness and acidity from iced coffee, boost the caffeine and increase the sweetness to make a delicious coffee beverage," added Bloom.

A vessel is needed. In this example, a two-quart Ball jar. You'll also need freshly roasted coarse ground beans.

Recipes are listed below. Visit the Backlot Coffee website for more information on their locations and menu options.

Cold Brew 101:

How to make cold brew concentrate at home

  • Select your beans (freshly roasted or old beans) and vessel (jar, jug, or pitcher).
  • Measure and grind beans at the coarsest setting (sometimes marked "french press").
  • Backlot recommends using 1 cup coarsely ground beans per 2 quarts of water (most pitchers are about two quarts). This is also equivalent to 120 grams of beans per one liter of water.
  • Add cold water and stir to fully immerse the grounds in the water.
  • Steep for 24 hours to make a luxurious cold brew concentrate.
  • Filter out the grounds using a paper filter and a sieve--or even cheesecloth will work.
  • Concentrate will last up to two weeks in the refrigerator.
  • Mix 1 part concentrate with 1 part water, add ice and enjoy!

Preparing a New Orleans Cold Brew

  • Fill a glass with ice
  • Add cold brew concentrate, leaving about ½" of room at the top
  • Stir in some vanilla syrup (equal parts sugar and water, vanilla to taste)
  • Top with cream (or any milk alternative)

Preparing a Cold Brew Tonic

  • Fill a glass with ice
  • Fill ⅔ of glass with tonic (we are use Fever Tree's Mediterranean Tonic)
  • Top with cold brew concentrate
  • Enjoy!
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