We all know the OG's of the coffee world—the flat whites, espressos, mochas, and cappuccinos. You may have even crossed paths with a long mac topped up or the ever-elusive Melbourne magic.
But lately, you might’ve noticed some unfamiliar characters crashing the café menu — vibrant concoctions and quirky tea-coffee hybrids. Sure, Starbucks gave us the Pumpkin Spice Latte two decades ago, but now it's the independents who are creating their own signatures. So why the shift towards incorporating non-traditional sips?
Well, crafting a unique coffee or tea drink is like giving your café a personality boost. Think increased engagement with staff and customers, scroll-stopping content for socials, higher margins and a fresh way to wow your regulars while drawing in new ones.
Let's put it this way—sure, there may be avo toast but the real stars are those chef-curated one-of-a-kind dishes that give the menu its edge. Same goes for drinks. A standout signature beverage isn’t just different, it’s distinctive—and priced accordingly.
With a little prep and some clever batching, adding a feature drink won't send your workflow into chaos. These photogenic, flavour-packed beauties are as fun to make as they are to drink and you can certainly expect to see more of them at your favourite coffee shops.
Thinking of whipping up your own coff-tails but don’t know where to start? Don’t worry — we’ve brewed, steeped, frothed, weighed, and (joyfully) taste-tested the lot, just so we could pass the deliciousness on to you.
- Iced Strawberry Matcha Latte
- Mont Blanc
- Hot Cross Bun Latte
Iced Strawberry Matcha
Ingredients
- 500g strawberries
- 100g sugar
- 30g lemon juice
- Dash of salt
- 3g matcha
Method
- Cut up strawberries into quarters
- Put all ingredients into pot
- Simmer over medium heat for approximately 10 minutes, stirring regularly until strawberries are softed and sugar is dissolved
- Puree/blend to desired thickness (or leave chunky if preferred)
- Sift 3g of matcha and whisk with 30g water at 80 degrees
- Place some large blocks of ice in your glass
- Layer 40g of strawberry coulis
- Add your favourite milk
- Top with 30g matcha
Mont Blanc
Ingredients
- Cold brew
- Thickened cream
- Caster sugar
- Nutmeg
- Vanilla
- Orange zest
Method
- Prepare your cold brew 1-2 days before (check out our cold brew recipe) We used Bella Vista, filter at a slightly more concentrated amount 1:10 ratio
- Add caster sugar, dash of vanilla and nutmeg (to taste) to cream
- Thicken/whip/whisk/shake/beat cream until thick but still pourable
- Place in a squeezy bottle to ensure a perfectly layered top
- Place some large blocks of ice in your glass
- Top with cold brew, leaving about 1cm of space in your glass
- Layer your cold cream on top, being careful not to mix too much
- Finely zest some orange on top
Hot Cross Bun Latte
Ingredients
- 30g Feel Good Chai (honey)
- 325g filtered water, 90 degrees
- 55g raisins
- 35g raw sugar
- Dash of salt
Method
- Steep chai with hot water for 4-5 minutes, filter
- Place tea with all ingredients in pot
- Stir to combine
- Bring to simmer over medium heat
- Gently simmer for 10 minutes, stirring regularly
- Once cool, filter into bottle and keep refridgerated (best used within 2 weeks)
- Weigh 20g syrup in latte glass
- Add a shot of espresso on top. We used Tiga Raja, Wet Hulled espresso
- Top with textured hot milk of choice
- Dust with cinnamon for a warm, drinkable version of a delicious hot cross bun
