Dunkin' Spiked Iced Coffee

Hard coffee, made in a glass

Canned hard coffee sold under this name is a real product, but the version worth making at home is the one you build yourself. This is an independent recipe with no connection to, sponsorship from, or approval by the brand.

What each pour does

• Cold brew, 3 oz — the backbone. Use a concentrate or a strong 1:4 brew; ordinary iced coffee is mostly water and turns the drink thin.
• Irish cream liqueur, 1 oz — around 17% ABV, bringing cream, cocoa and a whisper of whiskey in one pour.
• Vanilla vodka, 0.75 oz — sweetness and warmth without more dairy.
• Milk or oat milk, 2 oz — the body. Oat milk tastes rounder against coffee than skim.
• Simple syrup, 0.5 oz — adjust this last; Irish cream is already sweet, so taste first.
• Ice, generous — large cubes, so the drink stays cold without washing out.

Layering it without stirring

Fill the glass with ice, pour in the cold brew and the syrup, then the vodka and the Irish cream. Rest the back of a spoon on the rim and pour the milk over it so it sinks slowly and settles as a pale band on top. Stir gently before the first sip: the layers are for the photograph, not the palate.

Strength and calories

One ounce of Irish cream at 17% adds about 0.17 oz of alcohol and 0.75 oz of 40% vodka adds 0.3 oz: roughly 6.5% ABV before the ice, about 5.5% in the glass. A serve runs near 240 kcal, mostly from the liqueur, the milk and the syrup.

Mistakes

• Hot coffee over ice. It melts the ice on contact and waters the drink instantly.
• Shaking it. Irish cream foams, and the coffee’s acidity can curdle it.
• Sweetening out of habit. Half an ounce is plenty once the liqueur is in.
• Skim milk. The drink needs some fat to carry the coffee.

Variations

• Mocha version — stir 0.5 oz of chocolate syrup into the cold brew first.
• Frozen version — blend everything with a cup of ice and top with whipped cream.

Dunkin’ Spiked Iced Coffee FAQ

Can I use regular iced coffee instead of cold brew?

Yes, but use twice as much and cut the milk, or the coffee flavour vanishes.

Why did my drink separate?

Acidic coffee, very cold milk or old Irish cream. Pour the milk slowly over a spoon and drink it fresh.