26. mazagran coffee

A European style coffee

Photo by Wade Austin Ellis on Unsplash

A day late - Back from a holiday and need to remember that I have a Substack to write.

---

I, like many people who consume gargantuan amounts of caffeine, consider myself a coffee connoisseur. I’m well versed in making the perfect latté - ideally it’s far more espresso than milk, though Bradley would strongly disagree - and an iced coffee is acceptable to drink all year round.

On my recent trip to Lisbon, which has far more hipster, bougie, independent coffee shops than I had thought, there was a Mazagran on the menu under the ‘cold drinks’ section.

This delightful glass is a cold, sweetened coffee drink that originated in Algeria. The Portuguese versions may use espresso, lemon, mint and rum. Austrian versions are served with an ice cube and include rum. Mazagran has been described as “the original iced coffee.”

I cannot describe it other than it’s this refreshing, zesty, cold drink that is like a lemonade on drugs. It’s definitely a drink that I’m going to make in pitchers for the summer.

Ingredients

• Two shots of espresso or 240ml of brewed coffee

• Two tablespoons of brown sugar

• Four to five tablespoons of fresh lemon (or lime) juice

• A few lemon (or lime) slices

• A handful of crushed ice

• A few mint leaves

Method

• Fill a cocktail shaker (or glass with a lid) with the crushed ice.

• Add the lemon juice, sugar, and coffee. Shake vigorously. 

• Serve in a tall glass and add mint leaves and lemon slices.

Must visit coffee shops in Lisbon (and what I had at them)

• The Mill - Matcha Latte

• Copenhagen Coffee Lab - Espresso tonic.

• The Folks: Coffee Brewers and Soul Cooks - Mazagran

• Fabrica Coffee Roasters - Tamarind iced tea, very refreshing for a hot day.

• Hello, Kristof - Latte

• Liberty Cafe Lisbon - More espresso tonic.

---