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Created by Chef Remy
Cold-brewed chicory coffee and sweetened condensed milk over ice, the drink that fueled a thousand late nights in the French Quarter and lazy summer afternoons on every porch in Louisiana.
Chicory coffee runs through the veins of New Orleans like the Mississippi runs through the delta. We have been drinking it since the Civil War, when blockades cut off coffee imports and resourceful Louisianans stretched their precious beans with roasted chicory root. Turned out we liked what we created better than the original.
Now here is something most folks do not know: the French brought chicory coffee to both Louisiana and Vietnam during colonial times. So when Vietnamese immigrants arrived in New Orleans in the 1970s and tasted our café au lait, they recognized something familiar. That connection gave us this beautiful marriage of traditions. Cold-brewed chicory over ice, enriched with sweetened condensed milk. Two cultures, one perfect glass.
Cold brewing changes everything about this drink. Hot water extracts bitter compounds and acids along with flavor. Cold water is gentler, pulling out the smooth, chocolatey sweetness of the chicory while leaving the harshness behind. The result is a concentrate so smooth you could drink it straight, though I would not recommend it unless you need to stay awake for three days.
Quantity
1 cup
Quantity
4 cups
Quantity
1/2 cup, plus more to taste
Quantity
as needed
Quantity
2 tablespoons
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| coarsely ground chicory coffee blend | 1 cup |
| cold filtered water | 4 cups |
| sweetened condensed milk | 1/2 cup, plus more to taste |
| ice cubes | as needed |
| heavy cream (optional) | 2 tablespoons |
Add the coarsely ground chicory coffee to a large glass jar or pitcher. Pour the cold filtered water over the grounds and stir gently to make sure every bit of coffee gets wet. No dry pockets hiding at the bottom. The water should turn the color of dark chocolate within seconds.
Cover the jar and let it sit at room temperature for twelve to twenty-four hours. The magic happens slowly. Cold water extracts the smooth, sweet notes from the chicory while leaving behind most of the acids and bitterness. Patience rewards you here. At Lagniappe, we steep ours for a full eighteen hours.
Line a fine-mesh strainer with cheesecloth or a clean kitchen towel and set it over a clean pitcher. Pour the steeped coffee through slowly, letting gravity do the work. Do not press or squeeze the grounds. You will push through bitter compounds and cloud your beautiful concentrate. This takes about ten minutes. Walk away, pour yourself something else, come back when it is done.
Fill a tall glass to the brim with ice. Pour two tablespoons of sweetened condensed milk over the ice. It will sink and pool at the bottom like a sweet promise. Now pour your cold-brewed concentrate over everything, filling the glass about three-quarters full. Watch the dark coffee meet the pale milk, swirling into something beautiful.
Give it a good stir with a long spoon, dragging that sweetness up from the bottom and marrying it with the bitter, roasted coffee. Taste it. This is the moment of truth. Add more condensed milk if you want it sweeter, more concentrate if you want it bolder. Trust your palate. If you like it richer, add a splash of heavy cream. There is no wrong answer here, only your answer.
1 serving (about 300g)
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