Caffè Shakerato (Italian-Style Shaken Iced Coffee) Recipe

[Photograph: Daniel Gritzer]

I’ve been experimenting with iced espresso strategies to get just a little reprieve from the summer season warmth (and to make the isolation imposed on us by coronavirus extra entertaining). My go-to is Japanese-style iced coffee, which I learned some years ago was my most popular type of iced espresso (rather more so than cold brew), however there’s an entire world of iced espresso drinks past that, like caffè shakerato.

To be trustworthy, I wasn’t anticipating a lot from caffè shakerato, which I’ve been conscious of for years however hadn’t tried. Often served in a martini or cocktail glass, the drink struck me extra as a gimmick since, on paper at the least, it seems to simply be primary sweetened iced espresso. Turns out I underestimated it by rather a lot.

The title clues you in on what’s concerned right here: “Shakerato” is simply the English verb “shaken” with an Italian ending. And that is exactly the way it’s made—a shot of espresso (or one other type of concentrated espresso) is shaken with sugar on ice. What comes out is not only a candy iced espresso, however one which’s been remodeled in texture: velvety and capped with a creamy foam, principally due to the vigorous shaking that aerates the espresso. The beneficiant dose of sugar helps, too, growing the espresso’s viscosity and permitting it to carry extra wonderful air bubbles.

Feel free to regulate the sweetness stage to your individual tastes; this model leans dessert-y, which might not be everybody’s cup of tea espresso. And if the entire idea of this iced espresso has you asking whether or not one may ever combine some booze in, the reply is sure: Some recipes spike the espresso with an oz. or two of a candy, cream-based liqueur, akin to Baileys. Just, you recognize, possibly do not try this very first thing within the morning.