Fruity Americano: Coffee with a fruity twist

A glass of iced coffee with a creamy swirl on top, served in a ribbed tumbler against a neutral background.

Ruby Americano: Here, the gentle sweetness and acidity of pomegranate meet espresso.

Coffee mixed with fruit juice? What might sound unusual at first is now an established trend. We're talking about "Fruity Americanos" – a bold combination that is light and fresh. and therefore finding more fans. In a glass, strong espresso meets fruit juice, ice, and depending on the recipe, a splash of tonic or sparkling water. The result is a surprisingly balanced drink that refreshes until the last sip.

What’s Behind the Trend

Consumers are looking for new taste experiences, unexpected combinations, and ingredients with authentic flavors. At the same time, iced drinks have shifted from a seasonal to an everyday beverage. The Fruity Americano captures this zeitgeist perfectly: Juice from orange, passion fruit, or pomegranate brings freshness, natural sweetness, and acidity to the glass, espresso provides the caffeine kick, and ice adds extra refreshment. The characteristic layered look in the glass not only builds anticipation for the first sip but is also the perfect motive for the next social media post.

Coffee culture reinvented

From Niche Hype to Global Menus

Especially in Asian coffee markets, one can find experimental combinations of coffee and fruity ingredients. For example, espresso-orange juice creations are part of the offer in Thailand, while Luckin Coffee in China offers variants like the Apple Fizzy Americano. The combination is no longer a purely local phenomenon: In other markets, variants of espresso, fruit juice, and sparkling components can also be found – under names like Fruity Americano, Orange Coffee, or Fizzy Americano. They interpret classic iced coffee drinks in a surprisingly fresh way.

Coffee Becomes a Lifestyle Beverage

This is exactly where the opportunity lies for operators to attract new guests with cold, fruity creations, expand the offerings, and stage coffee as an experience. This pays off multiple times over:

Simple expansion of the drink menu – based on existing ingredients, without much additional effort
Attractive specials, whether staged seasonally or available year-round on the menu
High visual attention: Colors and layered looks that speak for themselves on social media
Standardized preparation – for consistent quality, even during high demand
Higher value creation per drink – more margin thanks to upgraded creations

Cool & Juicy: Technology for Cold Coffee and Freshly Pressed Juice

The taste experience in the glass depends not only on the optimal recipe but especially on high-quality ingredients and efficient preparation technologies. SEB Professional Beverage supports customers from recipe development to the right machine technology as a close partner and holistic solution provider. Inspiration and advice come from coffee experts, and the suitable technology from the brands WMF, Schaerer, and Zummo.

Schaerer delivers cold coffee fresh from the fully automatic machine. Schaerer Coffee Soul
brews hot and then cools the coffee using the Hot-&-Cold technology to 30 to 35 °C. Combined with ice cubes, this results in iced coffee that remains aromatic and does not dilute.

The "Cold Brew" technology of the WMF 1500 F enables a unique coffee extraction in the industry with water at room temperature. This results in a mild, gently sweet flavor profile with clear aromas, minimal bitterness, and a softly rounded profile that resembles classic cold brew, with a significantly shorter extraction time.

The fruity base is provided by the juicers from Zummo. Their patented pressing process prevents the juice from coming into contact with the skin. This way, no bitter substances or essential oils enter the juice, and with the press of a button, freshly pressed orange or pomegranate juice is created as the perfect ingredient for your Fruity Americano.

A glass of iced coffee with a vibrant yellow-orange layer, topped with ice cubes, casting a shadow on a white background.

Sunny Splash: Espresso with orange juice - surprisingly refreshing

Try It Yourself

A sip says more than a thousand trend reports. Curious? Then put the theory aside and get to work yourself. Fruity Americanos are made for experimenting. A few ingredients are enough to prepare the trend drink.

Ruby Americano

Ingredients:

2–3 ice cubes
80 ml tonic water
100 ml pomegranate juice
30–35 ml espresso

Preparation

Fill the glass with ice cubes.
Pour in tonic water for a light, sparkling base.
Slowly add the pomegranate juice, watching the color build up.
Finally, carefully pour the espresso on top for the characteristic layered look.