Happy St. Paddy’s Day!

In honor of this most Irish of holidays, how about a recipe for (what else?) a latte with an Irish twist. We’ve all heard of the classic “Irish Coffee”, but how here’s a great espresso-based version:

Ingredients:

1.5 oz. Irish Whiskey
1.5 oz. Irish Creme liqueur
1.5 oz. espresso
10 oz. cold milk or half-and-half

Combine the whiskey and the espresso in the bottom of the glass. Begin steaming the milk (or 1/2 & 1/2) as you would for a free-poured latte. When the milk is about 50-75% done steaming, pour in the Irish Creme. Pour the mixture over the espresso/whiskey mix in the glass and serve immediately.

Recipe from “yankeehatinactor” on the coffeegeek.com forums.

Affogato Mocha

When is an espresso drink not a drink? Why when it’s a delicious Italian dessert, of course.

“Affogato” is Italian for “drowned” and can refer to a variety of deserts consisting of ice cream, gelato or sorbet “drowned” in some liquid, such as a liqueur or, yes, even hot espresso.

One delicious example is this recipe for an Affogato Mocha, from www.epicurious.com.

Ingredients:

• 1 pint chocolate ice cream
• 8 tablespoons finely chopped bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate
• 8 tablespoons hot freshly brewed espresso coffee
• 8 tablespoons dark rum

Divide ice cream among 4 dessert bowls or coffee cups. Spoon 2 tablespoons each of chocolate, espresso, and rum over ice cream and serve immediately.

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