How to Prepare Your CoffeeEspresso Tonic
What you need
Ingredients run from the top of the cup to the bottom; the last item is the bottom layer. Values are normalized to a true 100% stack.
- Grind
- Fine — espresso grind; a fruity, high-acidity coffee such as a washed Ethiopian or Kenyan works best
- Water temperature
- Ice-cold — chilled tonic over a full glass of ice, with the hot shot poured on top
- Total time
- 3 min
Espresso tonic is a fresh shot of espresso poured gently over a tall glass of ice and tonic water, so it floats on top in a dark band before slowly sinking through the fizz. Bitter, bright and barely sweet, it is the specialty-coffee world's answer to an iced coffee. It began as a hangover improvisation in Oslo, where a barista colleague of Anne Lunell and Charles Nystrand mixed leftover tonic, a little syrup and an espresso the day after a staff party. A few months later the pair opened Koppi, their roastery and coffee bar in Helsingborg, and put Kaffe&Tonic on the menu in 2007. It became their best-selling iced drink and spread from Scandinavia to cafés across Europe, North America and Japan.
Steps
Fill a large glass to the rim with ice
A glass packed with ice chills the tonic fast and stays cold after the hot espresso goes in. With too little ice, the shot warms the drink and melts what ice there is, leaving it flat and watery — the mistake Koppi's founders warn about most.
Pour in the tonic and let it settle while you pull the shot
The pause lets the tonic get ice-cold and lets the first rush of bubbles calm down. Settled, chilled tonic foams far less when the coffee goes in, so the glass doesn't overflow.
Pull a fresh espresso
The drink has only two flavours, so the coffee carries half of it. A freshly pulled shot brings crema and acidity that a stale or reheated one has lost.
Pour the espresso slowly over the ice, onto the tonic
Coffee hitting carbonated water releases a burst of gas. A slow pour, ideally over the back of a spoon or straight onto the ice, keeps the foaming under control and leaves the espresso floating as a dark layer with a silky foam on top.
Serve straight away
The layers start blending and the tonic starts losing its fizz as soon as the coffee is in. Drink it while the contrast between the bitter, bubbly tonic and the warm espresso is still sharp.
Cup ready
Time to enjoy your Espresso Tonic
Brewed the way they do it in Sweden. What next?
Tips
- Choose a tonic with bright, citrusy notes rather than a heavily bitter one — Anne Lunell recommends a lighter, more acidic tonic to keep the drink refreshing.
- Add a slice of lemon or lime — Koppi usually served it that way, and the citrus lifts the coffee's acidity.
- Chill the shot first if you want a calmer pour — some cafés cool the espresso over a few ice cubes and strain it onto the tonic, which foams less and blends more smoothly.
- Try cold brew in place of espresso — it mixes into the tonic more evenly and is quicker for a crowd, though you lose the layer of crema on top.
Common mistakes
- Skimping on ice — a half-full glass lets the hot espresso warm the tonic, and the drink tastes flat.
- Pouring the espresso in fast — the tonic foams up violently and can overflow the glass, and the layered look is gone.
- Using a dark, low-acidity roast — Koppi and other specialty cafés pick fruity, acidic coffees because their brightness balances the tonic's bitterness; without it the drink tastes heavy.
FAQ
Who invented the espresso tonic?
According to Anne Lunell, co-founder of Koppi Roasters, a barista colleague in Oslo first mixed leftover tonic with a little syrup and an espresso after a staff party. Lunell and Charles Nystrand refined the idea and served it as Kaffe&Tonic when they opened Koppi in Helsingborg, Sweden, in 2007. The drink stayed on the café's menu until the café closed in December 2017, and Lunell says it made up at least 95% of the iced coffees they sold.
Why does the espresso float on the tonic?
Because it is poured gently on top of a cold, settled glass of tonic and ice rather than mixed in. The shot and its crema sit as a dark layer at first and drift down slowly, which is much of the drink's appeal. A hard pour mixes it at once and makes the tonic foam over.
Is espresso tonic sweet?
Only slightly. Most tonic water already contains sugar, which balances the quinine's bitterness, so the classic version adds nothing else. The first Oslo mix used a little syrup, and many cafés now add flavoured syrups, citrus or fruit — Japanese baristas are credited with being the first to add extra flavours.
The Atlas
Help keep this preparation honest
The Atlas is only as trustworthy as the sources behind it. If a step on this page is off — or you know a preparation that belongs here — tell us. Two references is all we ask.