Infusion instead of floating spice

Ground cinnamon does not dissolve neatly in a cold drink. It tends to gather on the surface or cling to the glass, leaving some sips strongly spiced and others plain. A cinnamon stick gives its flavour to the warm syrup, which can then be stirred through the coffee evenly.

The size and freshness of cinnamon sticks vary. A small piece can be quite aromatic, so taste the syrup once it has cooled enough to sample. If it is already strong, remove the stick before the full ten minutes. You are looking for a warm background note, not the intensity of a spiced pudding.

A simple drink with room to adjust

Keep the coffee fairly concentrated because both the milk and syrup dilute it. A small moka-pot brew or espresso works better than a large, weak filter coffee for these proportions. The drink should still taste like coffee after the cinnamon arrives.

Serve in glasses with enough space to stir from the bottom. Syrup is denser than milk and can settle if it is simply poured in at the end. Mixing it with the coffee before assembly avoids a last mouthful that is much sweeter than the first.

What you'll need

  • 120 ml strong brewed coffee
  • 50 ml water
  • 25 g caster sugar
  • 1 small cinnamon stick
  • 250 ml cold milk
  • 200 g ice cubes

Let's make it

  1. Put the water, sugar and cinnamon stick in a small pan. Warm until the sugar dissolves, then simmer very gently for two minutes. Remove from the heat and leave the stick in the syrup for ten minutes.
  2. Remove the cinnamon stick and cool the syrup. Cool the coffee separately in a heatproof cup in a cold-water bath. Do not combine hot syrup with the ice.
  3. Fill two glasses with ice and divide the milk between them. Stir one tablespoon of cooled cinnamon syrup into each half of the coffee, pour into the glasses and mix. Add a little more syrup only after tasting.

Make it your own

Oat drink pairs well with cinnamon, but use an unsweetened one if you want the syrup to remain the main sweetener.

Do not replace the stick with the same volume of ground cinnamon; for a powder-only version use a very small pinch and expect visible sediment.

Keeping it fresh

Refrigerate any leftover cooled syrup in a clean covered container and use within 48 hours. Assemble the iced coffees only when ready to drink. Follow the milk's own storage and use-by instructions.

Allergen notes

Contains milk. Oat alternatives may contain gluten; check the product label.