Origin: Italy  |  Prep: 3 minutes  |  Brew: 1 minute

About This Brew

Caffè Shakerato is Italy's elegant summer espresso. A hot shot is shaken hard with ice and sugar in a cocktail shaker until ice-cold and crowned with a layer of silky foam, then strained into a chilled glass. It is a bar staple across Italy when the weather turns warm, prized for being refreshing without diluting the coffee with milk.

The vigorous shaking is everything: it chills the espresso instantly and whips air into it, producing a frothy, almost creamy crema-like top with no dairy at all. The result is bittersweet, frosty and sophisticated, often served in a stemmed glass. Variations add a splash of liqueur such as amaretto or Baileys for an after-dinner version.

Ingredients

• 2 shots hot espresso
• 1-2 tsp sugar (or simple syrup)
• 1 cup ice cubes

Equipment Needed

• Espresso machine or moka pot
• Cocktail shaker
• Chilled stemmed glass

Instructions

1. Pull the espresso and stir in the sugar while hot to dissolve.
2. Fill a cocktail shaker with ice and add the sweetened espresso.
3. Seal and shake vigorously for 15-20 seconds until frothy and cold.
4. Strain into a chilled glass, keeping the foam on top.
5. Serve immediately.

Tags: Europe · Cold · Easy