Marocchino

Liquid paradise

Summer’s coming but it still gets a bit cool here when the sun sets so, before you get ready to read your next installment of The Italian Lesson (whether you’re catching up with one we’ve already posted or getting ready to dive into Installment 6, which comes out on Tuesday) we wanted to share a recipe of Anastasia’s favorite comfort drink or, as she describes it, “liquid gold”—the Marocchino [ma-ro-KEY-no].

This drink is so much greater than the sum of its parts.

Ingredients

• 1.5 ounces espresso

• Cocoa powder

• Milk foam (Schiuma di latte)

Preparation

Dust a small* glass with a layer of cocoa powder. Pour in the hot espresso and cover with a thick layer of cocoa powder. Add a dollop of milk foam and generously sprinkle more cocoa powder on top.

The ingredients in this drink are layered so each separate ingredient should be visible. It looks beautiful, so once your drink has been fully assembled, admire it for a split second, stir, and then drink!

The Marocchino originated Alessandria, a small city in the Piedmont region 200 miles north of Florence. Luckily, good news—and recipes—travel.

*The glass can be as big as you want it to be—and the recipe can be doubled, tripled, quadrupled. We won’t judge.

Variations

• Instead of a shot of espresso, use a ristretto. To do this, use a finer grind of coffee bean and half as much water. This will intensify the coffee taste.

• Exchange steamed, frothed milk for the schiuma di latte

• You can drizzle chocolate syrup on top instead of (or in addition to!) the cocoa powder

• Replace the layer of cocoa powder with Nutella, a hazelnut cocoa spread (inspired!)

The Marocchino is a creamy, intense, quintessentially Italian drink; perfect to sip on a cold winter morning or a cool spring evening while you read the next installment of The Italian Lesson.

Ci vediamo!