It’s summertime which means ample opportunity to enjoy the outdoors, and cool beverages. For coffee lovers, that obviously means iced coffee. It’s my go-to cup of joe when I’m out and about in the heat, which I’ve been a lot this summer. Here’s a little update on some of our summer activities, and a how-to for a quick and easy jug of iced coffee.
It was 32 degrees in Stockholm yesterday. Thirty-two! Living in a country like Sweden — where our summers are short and our winters are painfully long, cold, and dark — you come to appreciate weather like this. And if you’ve ever been to Sweden you’ll know Swedes know how to savour every last lick of summer.
We’ve been maxing our time outdoors going on excursions, biking around, going for walks and hopping on boats out to the Stockholm archipelago.
A favourite of mine is going out to the little island Fjäderholmarna. Taking the boat from Nybrokajen or Slussen it’s a short 30 minute trip across the water to an island small enough to loop right around in about 5 minutes flat.
Related: Banana Nice Cream – The Perfect Summer Snack
I’ve packed a picnic and boated out to Fjäderholmarna almost every single summer since I moved to Stockholm some 17 years ago (omg, how old am I?!) And this summer the awesome hammocks they have at the café and restaurant “Röda Villan” have lured us out to Fjäderholmarna twice already.
Those hammocks are popular real estate though, so you’re lucky if you manage to nab one (hold on to it for dear life if you do).
Related: Strawberry & Peach Midsummer Cake
Yesterday we took a long bike ride (yes, in the aforementioned 32 degree heat) followed by an evening barbecue and swim. It was my first swim of the summer and it was wildly refreshing.
Another thing I love in the summer is a cool jug of iced coffee. Getting a takeaway iced coffee is nice and convenient when on the go, but it’s also super easy to make yourself.
There’s a couple of different ways in which you can make your own iced coffee, one of which includes freezing coffee in an ice cube tray, but I’ve outlined an even quicker and simpler version below.
Iced Coffee
Yield: 1 jug
1 Cup cold almond or soy milk (not the unsweetened kind)
1 Cup fresh brewed coffee, slightly cooled
10 ice cubes
1-2 tsp sweetener, optional
Method
Add the milk, ice cubes and sweetener (if using) to a mug or jug, pour over the coffee and give it a stir. Add a straw, and enjoy!
