These days, surfing on Instagram or Tik Tok, you may come across reels, stories and directs proposing a fresh, thirst-quenching, Mediterranean drink: a coffee with lemon....A combination that will surely turn the noses up at many, especially coffee purists, while others will remember a "grandmother's remedy for headaches (...or hangovers).... and yet the recipe seems to be very popular as a cold summer coffee drink... even in a shaken version.

Coffee and lemon.... a daring yet popular combination, two intense and contrasting aromas that at first glance might seem irreconcilable, and yet those who have tried it guarantee that the bitter and slightly acidic aftertaste, diluted by the right amount of sugar, is really pleasant and regenerating, especially on hot and sultry days.

But how do you prepare an iced lemon coffee?

First of all, arm yourself with a mocha to make a good cup of coffee, sugar it to your liking as soon as it is ready and let it cool in a glass container.
While the coffee is cooling down, dedicate yourself to the preparation of the lemon, we strongly recommend, for taste, to use fresh juice, squeezed at home, preferably from organic lemons, taking care to filter it before adding it to the coffee.
Don't throw away the lemon peels, keep some (without the white part), to add to your coffee drink.

For this particular preparation, there are those who prefer to use lemon juice (quick version) and those who prefer the zest alone (possibly even boiled to prepare a syrup). In the latter case, we advise you not to consume the coffee immediately, but to let it rest in the fridge for a few hours to allow the flavours to blend better.

Lemon iced coffee is also excellent in a shaken version, either with ice cubes or crushed ice, for a “granita effect”.

Napolitan recipe....or Portuguese? Let's find out more about Mazagran

Thinking of summer, of citrus fruits....our thoughts immediately run to the places whose tradition is most closely linked to these crops. Contrary to what you might read...lemon coffee is not a southern speciality...it is actually a drink belonging to the Portuguese tradition: the Mazagran. A drink with distant origins, imported to Europe during the years of colonisation in Algeria. The Mazagran is rigorously prepared using the juice of the lemon (not the boiled or macerated peels) and should be enjoyed with plenty of ice and perhaps accompanied by the fresh touch of a few mint leaves.