Well, the wheel of seasons is turning once more, and warmer times will soon take over again. All you feel like in those times is to cover yourself with everything cool. The best way is by sipping loads of cold coffee with lots of ice in it. But it is always good to try out a few variations of the usual 'coffee loaded with ice', and believe me, they are equally awesome. Basic Iced Coffee For one of those desperately hot afternoons, when there's no soda in the freezer, churn out this heavenly concoction. You'll need:

• Milk, ½ cup (chilled)
• Coffee, ¼ cup (brewed, chilled, and strong)
• Ice, ¼ cup (crushed)
• Cream, ½ tbsp. (thick)
• Chocolate, a little (plain and grated)
• Sugar, to taste

Procedure Layer the bottom of a glass with ice crushings. Next, fill it up to ⅔, first with cold coffee, and then milk and sugar. Stir and place a generous scoop of cream on top of it, and mizzle some chocolate on top. While serving, remember to do so with a long spoon. Crème Iced Coffee For a movie night at home with seven other friends around, this is the best cold coffee you can serve. Gather:

• Coffee, 1½ qt (brewed and cooled to room temperature)
• Milk, 1 cup
• Half and half, 1 cup
• Sugar, ⅓ cup
• Crème de cacao, 2 tbsp.
• Vanilla extract, 1 tsp.

Procedure Drop every ingredient into a large jug and mix well. Plop a few ice cubes, and voila! Thai Iced Coffee For a cozy after-dinner drink, a family of four can try this. Here's what you should have with you:

• Coffee, 4 cups (brewed and strong)
• Condensed milk, 12 tbsp. (sweetened)
• Vanilla seasoning, ½ tsp. (authentic)
• Ice cubes, 8

Procedure To the warm coffee, add milk and blend. To this, add the vanilla flavoring and then chill for 4 hours. You can add liqueur of your choice to this concoction or drink it just this way. For that extra spicy kick, you can grind some black pepper and mix it with the warm coffee, after having added the milk. Hazelnut-flavored Iced Coffee This'll not take a second more than 10 minutes of yours in the kitchen. Only for yourself, you will need:

• Milk, 1½ cup
• Water, ½ cup
• White sugar, 1 tbsp.
• Instant coffee, 1 tbsp.
• Hazelnut flavoring, as per preference
• Ice cubes, 2-3

Procedure Heat water for half a minute, and mix the instant coffee, sugar, and flavoring with it. Leave it in the fridge for 10 minutes, and then pour the milk into it. Mix well and finish by plopping in the ice cubes. Of course, you can also use other flavors, such as cinnamon, ginger, and basil. Here's hoping that you will immensely enjoy these cold coffee preparations. I thoroughly enjoy them during the sweltering summers, and I am sure that you will too. But do not over drink coffee, as not all ingredients work well for the body in cases of over consumption.