Give Your Iced Coffee A Summer Cocktail Twist With One Refreshing Ingredient

As summer approaches, it brings the many boons you've come to expect from warmer weather — sunny days, pool parties, barbecues, and so much more. But it also brings the chance to indulge in some truly spectacular iced concoctions to help cool you down. A bright summer day and a glistening iced coffee just go hand in hand. And unsurprisingly, there are a few Italian-inspired tweaks to make your iced coffee experience even better.

An Italian shakerato recipe expertly combines a few simple ingredients to create an exceptional iced coffee, and you can even use a cocktail shaker to enhance your iced coffee even more. But have you ever tried marrying an Italian aperitivo with a refreshing iced coffee? Adding a dose of the bitter liqueur Campari might make you cock your eyebrow at first, but this boozy twist on a regular iced coffee could soon become your new favorite cocktail.

Campari is an Italian liqueur that is usually served as an aperitif or digestif, and is probably best known for being one part of the holy trinity of ingredients in the negroni cocktail, alongside sweet vermouth and a nice bold gin. But there's more to this liqueur than simply being one-third of a popular cocktail. If you've ever tried Campari on its own, or have had its flavors elongated with the addition of some soda water, you'll know that Campari is predominantly bitter and citrusy. It carries notes of orange and grapefruit alongside the more complex herbal undertones that comprise Campari's signature taste profile.

It turns out that these flavors pair wonderfully with iced coffee, no matter if you choose iced coffee or a stronger cold brew. However, it ought to be noted that a milder coffee choice may cause less conflict with the strongly bitter Campari. The cold, refreshing taste of an iced coffee is complemented by the subtle citrus action provided beneath the surface by the Campari. And if you add a little simple syrup to the equation, the coffee and Campari combo is given even more life and body. Much like standard cocktails, simple syrup helps to enhance the citrus flavors (and other subtle flavors) that are already present, which truly levels up your iced coffee.

Adding Campari to your iced coffee may very well become your signature summer cocktail, but it's not the only way you can add a boozy twist to your cold caffeinated beverage. While Campari is an excellent choice, there are tons of different aperitif options out there for you to try, all of which will lend unique flavors to your coffee. Something like an Amaro Nonino will give you a subtle bitterness with more focus on notes of orange. You could even go left-field with a choice like Fernet-Branca, whose characteristic menthol notes can prove interesting in an iced coffee.

Additionally, orange liqueurs such as a triple sec or Cointreau sometimes pair well with coffee in an espresso martini (depending on the recipe), and for good reason — orange or citrus flavors and bold coffee are amazing complements of each other. Green Chartreuse liqueur actually goes incredibly well with coffee, too, with its strong herbal flavors holding their own against even the strongest coffee. And of course, there are the cream liqueurs (such as Irish cream), which are already so intimately tied to coffee. While a little more indulgent than other liqueurs, these aperitifs can still make great summer cocktails when mixed with iced coffee. But with Campari, it's safe to say that your morning beverage will become even more invigorating.