Bottled Iced Coffee Recipe

Combine

In a clean 1‑liter or larger jar or pitcher, add 1 cup coarsely ground dark roast coffee.

Add water

Pour 4 cups cold filtered water over the grounds, making sure all grounds are saturated. Stir gently to ensure even extraction.

Steep

Cover the jar or pitcher and let the mixture steep at room temperature for 12 to 16 hours (overnight) for a concentrated cold brew. For a slightly lighter concentrate, steep 8–12 hours.

Strain

After steeping, strain the coffee through a fine mesh sieve lined with cheesecloth or a coffee filter into a clean bowl or pitcher. For a clearer brew, strain a second time. Discard or compost the used grounds.

Refrigerate concentrate

Transfer the strained concentrate to a lidded container and refrigerate. The concentrate will keep 7–10 days refrigerated.

Heat sugar

In a small saucepan combine 1 cup granulated sugar and 1 cup cold water.

Dissolve

Heat over medium, stirring until the sugar is fully dissolved and the liquid is clear (do not boil vigorously). Remove from heat.

Add vanilla

Stir in 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract. Allow syrup to cool to room temperature, then transfer to a small bottle or jar and refrigerate. Syrup will keep 2–3 weeks.

Prepare bottles

If bottling for storage, ensure bottles or jars are clean and dry. For immediate serving, fill glasses with ice.

Dilute concentrate

To serve a standard iced coffee, combine 1 part coffee concentrate with 1 part cold water or milk. For a 1:1 ratio using the amounts above, pour about 1 cup concentrate into a bottle and add 1 cup cold water or milk. Adjust to taste (some prefer 1:1, others 1:0.5 concentrate:water for stronger flavor).

Sweeten

If desired, add simple syrup to taste — start with 1 tablespoon per cup and adjust. Shake or stir to combine so the syrup distributes evenly (syrup mixes well cold).

Seal and chill

Seal bottles or jars with lids and refrigerate for up to 3–5 days once diluted, or keep undiluted concentrate refrigerated up to 7–10 days. When serving from a bottle, shake gently before pouring to re-incorporate settled flavor.

Serve

Pour chilled coffee over ice (about 1 cup per serving), add milk or milk alternative as desired (about 2–4 tablespoons), and enjoy. Store any leftover in the refrigerator.