Esquire‘s Todd Carmichael has an excellent recipe for iced coffee (“How to Make Iced Coffee Like a Martini“):

There’s nothing better in the summer, but so often it comes out all wrong — the ice is melted, the coffee is diluted. Here’s how to make a proper iced coffee — one that actually resembles coffee. (You might be surprised to find that there’s a cocktail shaker involved.) Try it, and you’ll find it impossible to drink the watery mess found in chain cafes ever again.

• Pour your best strong, hot coffee into a stainless steel martini shaker.

• Place the shaker into an ice bucket or large bowl filled with ice and water.

• When the coffee is cool, add ice to the shaker as if making a martini (and sweet condensed milk if you wish), shake vigorously, and pour into a chilled mug, leaving the offending ice behind.

About James Joyner

James Joyner is the publisher of Outside the Beltway and the managing editor of a DC think tank. He's a former Army officer, Desert Storm vet, and college professor. He has a PhD in political science from The University of Alabama.