Iced Chicory Coffee

Chicory coffee runs through the veins of New Orleans like the Mississippi runs through the delta. We have been drinking it since the Civil War, when blockades cut off coffee imports and resourceful Louisianans stretched their precious beans with roasted chicory root. Turned out we liked what we created better than the original.

Now here is something most folks do not know: the French brought chicory coffee to both Louisiana and Vietnam during colonial times. So when Vietnamese immigrants arrived in New Orleans in the 1970s and tasted our café au lait, they recognized something familiar. That connection gave us this beautiful marriage of traditions. Cold-brewed chicory over ice, enriched with sweetened condensed milk. Two cultures, one perfect glass.

Cold brewing changes everything about this drink. Hot water extracts bitter compounds and acids along with flavor. Cold water is gentler, pulling out the smooth, chocolatey sweetness of the chicory while leaving the harshness behind. The result is a concentrate so smooth you could drink it straight, though I would not recommend it unless you need to stay awake for three days.