Walking into your local coffee shop can be intimidating when faced with ordering a specialty drink. Try using this menu to order and impress the coffee clique.
Walk into your local boutique coffee shop and you will be met with lists and lists of specialty drinks. What do they mean? What do they contain? Their French or Italian names usually add to the confusion. Here is a menu of those seemingly endless variations on espresso specialty drinks:
Single: single shot of espresso usually served in a demitasse.
Double: double shot of espresso usually served in a demitasse.
Quad-shot: four shots of espresso in a small mug, bigger than a demitasse.
Affogato: Espresso served over gelato. Traditionally served over vanilla gelato.
Allongé: similar to an Americano, except that hot water is not added to already made espresso, instead, more water is put through the ground beans as the shot is made. This results in a more complex and stronger drink.
Americano: espresso + hot water - equal parts.
Breve: espresso + half and half - equal parts.
Mocha Breve: espresso, chocolate, and half and half - equal parts.
Café Bonbon: a shot of espresso served in a small glass filled with condensed milk. The shot and the milk remain separate unless stirred, as in a black and tan.
Café au Lait: long espresso + hot milk - equal parts
Café Latte: espresso + hot milk - equal parts. Milk is poured over the espresso and preserving the order of the espresso going into the cup first is very important.
Café Mocha: café latte + chocolate - equal parts.
Café Noisette or Cortado: espresso cut with warm milk. (Some U.S. shops also add hazelnut flavoring.)
Café Tobio: two shots of espresso with an equal amount of American Coffee.
Cappuccino: espresso + hot milk + milk foam - equal parts.(topped with cocoa powder or non-traditional cinnamon).
Chai Latte - chai tea + hot milk (no espresso involved)! Chai in the U.S., is traditionally a blend of black tea, honey, vanilla, and spices usually to be served with milk (hot or cold). The word chai means tea in Hindi.
Con Panna: espresso + whipped cream - equal parts.
Corretto: coffee with a shot of liquor, usually grappa or brandy.
Cubano: Sugar is added to the espresso grounds during brewing for a sweet taste. Sugar may also be whipped into a small amount of espresso after brewing and then mixed with the rest of the shot.
Flat White: (Australia and New Zealand) One-third espresso and two-thirds steamed milk.
John Wayne: two portions any flavor syrup, (usually caramel or vanilla), two portions half & half, and two shots of espresso. The ingredients are added slowly, poured gently over a spoon, in the listed order. The result is a layered drink with three distinct flavors and three different temperatures. It is usually drunk all at once. Also known as an Undertow or a Teardrop.
Kennedy: a cup of coffee with three shots of espresso in it.
Lungo: more water (about double) is let through the ground coffee, yielding a weaker taste.
Macchiatto: espresso + milk foam - equal parts.
Latte Macchiato: Essentially an inverted cafè latte, with the espresso poured on top of the milk.
Caramel Latte Macchiato: The milk is vanilla flavored and caramel is drizzled over the top of the foam. This is the form of macchiato popularized by the U.S. specialty and boutique coffee shops.
Nervosa: espresso + your choice of filtered, brewed coffee - equal parts.
Night Rider: 1 ounce cocoa mix and 1 shot of espresso in a cup of American coffee.
Red Eye or a Black Eye: a cup of drip coffee with two shots of espresso in it. Also known as a slingblade, a depth charge, a shot in the dark, an autobahn, or a hammerhead.
Café Serre or Ristretto: espresso shot made with less water, yielding a stronger taste.
Espresso is a rich, hot beverage with depth and many, varied applications. Many recipes for brownies, cakes, souffles, cookies and even molés, call for espresso. In its liquid and ground forms, espresso is commonly added to deepen and highlight chocolate's flavor. This demonstrates espresso's suitability as a pairing partner for many dessert dishes.
The copyright of the article Espresso Drink Menu in Coffee is owned by Catherine Laurenzi Bridges. Permission to republish Espresso Drink Menu in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
