Choose an unsweetened cold-brew concentrate if guests will make drinks to their own taste, but check the bottle’s mixing directions before working out quantities. Ready-to-drink dairy or oat cold-brew cans make individual serving simpler, although the M&S Oat Latte is not suitable for coeliacs or people with a wheat allergy. Cold-brew coffee liqueur belongs at a separate adult cocktail station, not alongside non-alcoholic coffee as an interchangeable option.
Start with how guests will be served: a drinks station, individual cans and adult cocktails call for different products.
If some guests want dairy, others avoid it and others prefer black coffee, keep the options clearly identified. Check each pack’s ingredients and allergens rather than assuming a plant-based drink suits everyone.
A concentrate offers a base that guests can mix to their own taste. Read its preparation directions before deciding how much to buy or setting out mixers.
Cold-brew coffee liqueur is a distinct cocktail ingredient. Identify it as alcoholic and keep it apart from non-alcoholic coffee drinks.
Choose the serving format first, then check the current pack for preparation, ingredients and information guests may need.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Serving format | Tesco lists a 500ml unsweetened cold-brew concentrate; check its mixing directions before calculating servings. M&S lists 250ml ready-to-drink cold-brew lattes for individual serves. | I want guests to make their own drinks, or I need a can I can hand to each guest without mixing. |
| Milk and allergens | M&S Classic Latte contains semi-skimmed milk. Its dairy-free Oat Latte is labelled unsuitable for coeliacs and people with a wheat allergy; check the current allergen statement on every pack. | Some guests avoid dairy, but an oat option must also meet their particular ingredient and allergen needs. |
| Drink style | Check whether the product is an unsweetened coffee base or a ready-made latte; read the ingredient list for additions. Do not assume an iced espresso concentrate was cold brewed. | I would like guests to choose their own milk or sweetness, while others may prefer a prepared milky coffee. |
| Alcohol | Read the alcohol label and present liqueur separately. Waitrose lists Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur at 21% ABV; it is not an ordinary non-alcoholic cold brew. | If I offer adult coffee cocktails, guests should be able to distinguish them immediately from the other coffee drinks. |
| Caffeine | Check the product label for caffeine information and the stated serving size. Do not use pack size alone to judge caffeine per drink. | Guests who keep track of caffeine need the product information, especially when they can mix their own servings. |
| Storage | Check chilling and opened-pack instructions for the specific product. Waitrose says its Nescafé Espresso Concentrated Iced Classic should be refrigerated and used within 14 days of opening; that does not set the storage period for a cold-brew concentrate. | I may prepare a drinks station in advance or keep an opened bottle afterwards, so the instructions for the bottle I buy matter. |
A 250ml ready-to-drink latte is an individual serve; a 500ml concentrate needs its own mixing directions before you can work out how many drinks it will make.
Decide which guests need a ready-made drink and which will use the station, then plan quantities from the relevant pack instructions.
M&S says its dairy-free Oat Latte Cold Brew Coffee is not suitable for coeliacs or people with a wheat allergy.
Check the current ingredients and allergen statement, and label any alternative separately so guests can identify it.
Waitrose lists Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur at 21% ABV. Its coffee-led name does not make it a substitute for non-alcoholic cold brew.
Label adult cocktail ingredients and serve them apart from non-alcoholic coffee.
A name or front-of-pack description does not tell you everything needed for mixing, allergen checks or storage after opening.
Read the current pack for preparation directions, ingredients, allergens, caffeine information and storage instructions before serving.
These examples show how the available drink formats differ; each product still needs its own label checks.
M&S lists individual 250ml cold-brew latte cans in Classic and Oat varieties.
Tesco lists Finest Unsweetened Cold Brew Coffee Concentrate in a 500ml bottle.
Waitrose lists an iced espresso concentrate and a separate cold-brew coffee liqueur.
Sandows says it makes cold brew in its London brewery.
This portioned coffee liquid could be considered for a self-serve drinks station. Confirm its preparation method before choosing it specifically as cold brew.
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The individual pouches offer a portioned option for a make-your-own coffee station. The product name calls it cold brew, while other product information describes it as instant soluble; check the current pack to confirm the preparation method. Check its ingredients, allergens and caffeine information before serving guests.
Count ready-to-drink 250ml latte cans as individual serves, but use the specific bottle’s mixing directions to calculate drinks from a concentrate. Its 500ml bottle size alone does not establish a serving count.
Not necessarily. M&S says its dairy-free Oat Latte Cold Brew Coffee is not suitable for people with a wheat allergy or for coeliacs. Check the current allergen statement on any drink you serve.
No: Waitrose lists Mr Black Cold Brew Coffee Liqueur at 21% ABV. Treat it as a separate adult cocktail ingredient and clearly identify non-alcoholic coffee drinks.
Follow the instructions on the concentrate you buy. Waitrose says its Nescafé Espresso Concentrated Iced Classic should be refrigerated and consumed within 14 days of opening, but that period does not apply automatically to another product or to cold brew.