Once upon a summer, there was only one drink called iced coffee. Nine times out of ten, it was leftover coffee shoved in the fridge and later served cold. But the next generation of coffee geniuses are creating drinks so weirdly creative and unbelievably delicious, we'd swim in them if we could. We've rounded up a handful of the coolest drinks we've spotted across the country—get ready for the most epic coffee run ever.
The Houndstooth folks describe this combo of cold brew and lemonade as an "Arnold Palmer for the coffee enthusiast." A turbinado simple syrup balances things out for a sippable drink that sells out fast (available only at the Dallas location).
How Hotlanta does iced coffee: Layers of espresso, half and half, tangerine juice, and sparkling water combine in a drink that's equal parts creamy, sweet, bitter, and bubbly. (Love the idea of bubbles in your coffee? Check out the espresso tonic with lime at Brooklyn's Sweatshop, pictured up top.)
This one's for you, Guinness lovers. At Philly spot Rival Bros., housemade cold brew gets put through a draft beer system that infuses it with nitrogen, resulting in a beverage with a creamy texture similar to the creamy Irish beer. At Rival Bros., you can get your nitro with two scoops of sweet-cream ice cream, just because.
Sweetened condensed milk, a double shot of espresso, and regular milk combine to form an iced coffee that's so popular, City and State also serves it hot in winter months. So simple, yet so delicious.
A tootsie-roll taste-alike, the Rocket Fuel starts as a special blend of coffee beans mixed with chicory cold brewed for 18 hours. When it reaches full maturity, Vermont maple syrup and milk are added to smooth in some sweetness to the deliciously bitter brew.