How to Craft Tasty Iced Coffee with a Repurposed Pasta Sauce Jar

A deliciously cold iced coffee is the ultimate treat on a sunny day. You can jazz it up with sweeteners and creams, or change the flavors and milk levels depending on your mood. The best part is that there’s no need to line up or pay a lot of money to get your hands on one. Iced coffee is simple to make at home, and you can utilize any of those old pasta sauce jars you have lying around to make it even better.

There have been so many videos and recipes floating around lately for perfectly shaken iced coffee, with many people picking a jar as their vessel of choice. It’s the ideal answer if you don’t want to clean a cocktail shaker or spill your coffee everywhere by stirring it. Shaking coffee with ice can also make it taste better and lighten the texture of the drink –- and it will cool your coffee a lot faster than stirring will.

Because drip coffee is already diluted, it’s best to use espresso for shaken iced coffees. Though, any coffee you have on hand can work — even instant coffee. An empty pasta jar works great because of its large size, so if you have one lying around give it an extra clean and get started.

To make your coffee, simply fill the jar with ice, pour in your coffee or espresso, close the lid, and give it a good shake for about 30 seconds. It should end up delectably frothy and evenly chilled. You can top the coffee off with milk if you’d like, or add sugar to the espresso before shaking to create an Italian shakerato. Flavored syrups work great too, as do brown sugar and cinnamon. 

Other tips for crafting the perfect shaken espresso include using barista milk for extra richness and adding cold foams for your coffee as a special treat. You could even use whipped cream too if you prefer. 

If you plan on using additions, just make sure to leave some extra room in your jar, so it doesn’t overfill. Once your creation is ready, all you have to do is stick a straw right into the jar and enjoy. No need for any glass washing or complications -– just a simple, easy treat that will quench your thirst.