Last month I had the opportunity to create a new recipe based off on of my favorite Italian specialties – espresso. Typically, my morning cannot start until I have a double espresso. It’s the only way I can be “on,” when completing my day-to-day routines as chef/partner, such as launching a new menu, like we did last week at Cafe Spiaggia. Our friends at illy caffe presented us with the opportunity to meet with their master barista Giorgio Milos to brainstorm on a new espresso-based drink together. Seeing as its summer, I thought of creating a version of the shakerato, an iced espresso drink. These are served all over Italy in the summer months and generally each region has their own twist on the classic drink.
With Giorgio, we created a Cafe Spiaggia shakerato. I invite you to come to the newly refreshed Cafe Spiaggia to experience our version, or, better yet, here’s a video of Giorgio and I making the drink, with the full recipe below. If you make it at home, please leave a comment on how it turned out.
Cafe Spiaggia Shakerato Recipe
Ingredients:
Chopped Sicilian pistachio and simple syrup as garnish on rim of glass
½ oz 62% Valrhona, melted to liquid form
3 Teaspoons pistachio butter
1 oz Tito’s Homemade Vodka
1 double Illy Espresso
½ oz simply syrup
Directions:
Chop pistachios and roll on the rim of the glass with simple syrup. Make espresso and combine ingredients with ice in the shaker. Shake with ice like a martini and serve in martini glass.
written by Tony Mantuano