If you love coffee and you love cola soft drinks, we have the perfect recipe for you! For their Shift Drink signature beverage, our Los Angeles team created the Coffee Cola.
In LA, espresso tonics are a popular drink all year round. We took it a step further to create an interesting, fizzy drink that really highlights our sun dried coffee. These coffees tend to have a sweet, almost jam like berry taste that combines with the natural cola to create a Dr. Pepper-esque taste.
This recipe may have a lot of ingredients, but they all play an important role in replicating the cola flavor from scratch in your kitchen. The prep process is easy and fun - you end up with incredible homemade cola!
It is also a gourmet recipe for those really seeking a next-level drink with a natural cola. Want something tasty and quick? Mix a cola of your choice (Coke, Pepsi, Dr. Pepper, etc.), juice from maraschino cherries, and a shot of spro. Boom.
Coffee Cola Recipe
Yield: This recipe makes approximately 24 drinks. Scale accordingly.
Ingredients
- 473 grams (17 ounces) filtered water
- Zest and juice of 1 lime (+ lime wedges for garnish)
- Zest and juice of 1 lemon
- Zest and juice of 1 orange
- 15 grams (1 tablespoon) dried orange peel
- 15 grams (1 tablespoon) whole coriander seeds
- ⅓ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 2 cinnamon sticks
- 256 grams (2 cups) coconut sugar
- 4 ½ teaspoon browning sauce
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 15 grams (½ ounce) maraschino cherry syrup
- 89 grams (3 ounces) of Topo Chico
- Ice
- Double shot of espresso. We recommend Hologram.
Instructions
- Make cola syrup. In a saucepan over medium heat, mix together water, the zest of your lime, lemon, and orange, dried orange peel, coriander seeds, ground nutmeg, and cinnamon sticks. Add in the coconut sugar and bring to a boil. Stir until all of the sugar has dissolved and then remove from heat. Stir in the lemon, lime, and orange juice, browning sauce, and vanilla extract. Let the mixture cool and refrigerate overnight to marinade. Strain mixture after 24 hours and set aside.
- Fill a tall glass with ice.
- Pour in 30 grams (1 ounce) of the cola syrup you made in step 1, the maraschino cherry syrup, and Topo Chico.
- Pull a double shot of espresso.
- Float espresso on top of your mixture.
- Garnish with a slice of lime on the rim.
- Stir before drinking.
- Enjoy!
Shift Drink was a monthly event held throughout 2022. On the last Friday of every month, we opened our Training Centers as a pay-what-you-want pop-up cafe. Each region rotated and choose an organization in their city to raise money for and created a signature beverage to serve. We are back to hosting our cornerstone Tasting at Ten event every Friday at 10am in a city near you. Learn more and stop by for a free tasting!
Make this drink at home and share using #CounterCultureCoffee
