Mazagran Iced Coffee with Lemon

Before you start

Mazagran is iced coffee with lemon, a pairing that sounds odd until you taste it. The name ties it to Mazagran, a fortress town in Algeria, and it is often linked to French soldiers there in the nineteenth century, though the details of that story vary. Versions remain popular in Portugal, where it is usually strong coffee, lemon and sugar over ice.

The drink lives or dies on balance. Lemon juice sharpens coffee's fruity notes and cuts bitterness, but too much makes it taste sour and thin. Start with a strong, chilled coffee so it can carry the acid, sweeten it with a measured syrup, and add a lemon peel or slice for aroma. A medium roast with chocolate or citrus notes works better than a very dark, smoky one.

Ingredients

• 120 ml (4 oz) strong brewed coffee, chilled — or a double espresso diluted with 60 ml cold water
• 15 ml (½ oz) fresh lemon juice — about half a lemon, strained
• 15 to 20 ml (½ to ⅔ oz) simple syrup (1:1)
• 1 wide strip lemon peel — plus a lemon slice for garnish
• 1 cup (about 150 g) ice cubes

Method

1. Brew strong coffee, around 1:12 coffee to water, or pull a double espresso and add 60 ml cold water. Let it cool to room temperature, then chill, or start the day before.
2. Squeeze and strain the lemon juice. Use juice from the same day for the brightest flavor.
3. Add the cold coffee, lemon juice and simple syrup to the shaker. Taste a drop: it should taste like sweet coffee with a fresh, lemony lift, not like lemonade.
4. Twist the lemon peel over the shaker so its oils fall in, then drop it in. Add a handful of ice.
5. Shake for about 8 seconds to chill and slightly froth the coffee.
6. Strain into a tall glass filled with fresh ice. Garnish with a lemon slice and serve at once.

Tips for success

• Add the lemon juice in two steps the first time. Coffees differ a lot in acidity, and it is easy to tip the drink into sourness.
• Make coffee ice cubes from leftover coffee so the drink stays strong as it melts.
• Stirring works if you do not have a shaker, but a short shake gives a light, pleasant foam on top.

Substitutions

Lemon juice

Lime juice gives a sharper, more tropical edge. Orange juice makes a softer, sweeter drink; use 30 ml and reduce the syrup.

Simple syrup

Honey syrup (equal parts honey and warm water) adds floral depth. Demerara syrup gives a toffee note that suits darker roasts.

Brewed coffee

Cold brew concentrate diluted 1:1 with water makes a smoother, less acidic base that takes the lemon especially well.

Variations

Sparkling mazagran

Build the coffee, lemon and syrup over ice in a tall glass, then top with 60 ml of cold soda water and stir gently once.

Lemon peel infused

Steep two strips of lemon peel in the hot coffee as it cools, then remove them. You get lemon aroma with less acidity.

Troubleshooting

It tastes like sour, watery coffee

Too much lemon or too little coffee strength. Brew stronger, keep the lemon at 15 ml, and add 5 ml more syrup.

The coffee tastes harsh and bitter

It was over-extracted or sat on a hot plate. Use freshly brewed coffee chilled promptly, or switch to cold brew.

The drink goes thin within minutes

The coffee was warm when it met the ice. Chill it fully first and use coffee ice cubes.

Storage

Serve immediately once the lemon juice is added. Plain brewed coffee can be kept covered in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days, and simple syrup for about 2 to 4 weeks; discard the syrup if it turns cloudy.