Espresso tonics! Just the name itself raises eyebrows. Yea or nay, good kinda funky or bad kinda funky, it's really up to you to make the call. Here at Hook, the camp is divided: Kit and I enjoy espresso tonics, Ernest and Sam don't really dig it. Since I'm the one who has made the most number espresso tonics in the office by far, I'm here to share my own espresso tonic recipe.

Before we start, the most important thing to keep in mind is that this recipe is a guideline. The amount of tonic water used was eyeballed, the amount of ground coffee to espresso yield might be different from yours – it all depends on your equipment and how you like your drink to taste. Just take note of the figures here and make adjustments accordingly, it's super simple!

Step 1: Choose Your Coffee

I decided to go with Panama Oh Nana today. As the label suggests, it's got a flavour profile similar to that of juicy passionfruits. This makes it a great match for tonic water, because carbonation tends to exaggerate sweetness and acidity. You haven't had this yet, but I promise you, it's an absolute flavour bomb.

Step 2: Measure Out Your Coffee

Before you measure out your coffee, tare your scale with your vessel. In this case, you want to zero your scale with your portafilter on it, so you can get an accurate amount of coffee.

Next, dispense your ground coffee. We run a portafilter with a 21g basket, so we want 21g of coffee – this might not be the case for you, so take note!

As with every good espresso, even extraction is best, so be sure to tamp it! The goal isn't to pack the coffee in the basket super tight, just tight enough!

Boom – nicely tamped ground coffee, ready for extraction!

Step 3: Extract Your Espresso

We're working with a 1:2 ratio – 1 part ground coffee to 2 parts yield. With 21g of ground coffee, we're shooting for extracting 42g of espresso between 25 to 30 seconds.

My yield was 41.8g. I know, I'm 0.2g off – cut me some slack!

Step 4: Tonic Time!

All you need now is a can of chilled tonic water (I used a 320ml can of Schweppes), some ice cubes, a glass (preferably a pint), and your espresso. What follows is the simplest, most satisfying visual guide you've ever laid your eyes on!

Fill your glass with ice cubes

Fill glass till approximately 3/4 of the way up with tonic water. I (courtesy of my assistant) used about 160ml of tonic

Hit your glass with every drop of that tasty espresso. Look at how the two mix – daaaaaaamn.

Voila – espresso tonic, DONE *Gordon Ramsay voice*

That concludes this quick and easy recipe. Go ahead, give espresso tonics a shot! (pun intended) I'll be real – espresso tonics are an acquired taste, but if you're feeling adventurous and would like a chilled coffee that isn't an iced latte, give these a shot. I think they're the perfect drink for our eternal Singaporean summer. Maybe you'll like them too!

Get Hooked!