If you are country-dwellers too, you know that getting the fancy chain’s coffees only happens when you make the trek into town on a special occasion. Here is a barista-quality, simple latte recipe you can do right in your own kitchen without any extensive equipment. Iced coffees are simply a must during the summer though. As much as I love a warm latte, it is just too hot in the Georgia heat some days.

Am I alone in that nothing seems worse than coffee going to waste? I didn’t think so. Nothing gives me heart palpitations more than pouring out coffee that I just didn’t get a chance to drink. However, I just found out that you can actually refrigerate plain black coffee for up to a week and use it as a cold brew! Since this is a cool recipe, a re-purposed “cold brew” would be perfect.

If you’re worried about your coffee becoming diluted from the ice, here is an amazing tip that has been a game-changer for me. Instead of water, fill half of your ice tray with milk and the other half with coffee. Then drizzle a little honey into each. Voila! No more watered-down coffee and a sweet surprise as the cubes melt. Also, I definitely recommend using larger ice cubes versus small ones so that way they don’t melt as quickly in the summer.

The best part about this drink is that there are so many different things you can do to add a little “pizazz” to it. One I like to do is add mint and chocolate powder, making it the sweetest, and probably healthiest, chocolate mint latte. You can also dust the top of the drink with cinnamon, nutmeg, or pumpkin spice depending on what season or mood you are in. Another delicious way to play up this recipe is to make it into an iced salted honey latte by adding a dash of large grain salt on top!

Something really interesting I discovered, and tell me if yall have heard of this before, is “coffee jelly”. All it is is a combination of gelatin, sugar, and coffee mixed and chilled to create these little jelly treats you can pop into your coffee and enjoy like a dessert. This treat actually originates from Japan and is also popular in some other Asian countries. I saw that some recipes used agar powder instead of gelatin to make it vegetarian-friendly. To add our own Southern twist, make it a little healthier, and build some natural flavors in there, I am going to give this recipe a whirl with honey instead of sugar! So stay tuned for my post on that, you don’t want to miss out on this refreshing dessert.

The beauty is in the process for this one, making it so much more enjoyable. First, brew the coffee or espresso of your choice or whip out your cold brew coffee. Drizzle Pure Southern Honey right along the walls inside the glass, giving it a beautiful yellow, marble-looking design. (That’s my favorite part! Second from drinking it, of course.) Pour your brew into a different cup and stir in your teaspoon of Pure Southern Honey until completely dissolved and pour into decorated glass. Add ice, pour milk, and vanilla extract on top. And STIR! Once thoroughly mixed, drizzle a little honey over the top and serve immediately.

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