Recipes

A dirty chai latte is a chai latte with a shot of espresso added — spiced black tea brewed with cardamom, cinnamon, ginger, and clove, combined with steamed milk and a pull of espresso for double the caffeine and a bold coffee-spice flavor that neither chai nor a latte delivers alone. The “dirty” part simply means espresso was added to what would otherwise be a clean chai latte. One shot is a dirty chai; two shots is sometimes called a “double dirty chai” or “filthy chai.” It’s not a Starbucks invention — it’s been a barista-known drink for decades, though Starbucks popularized it. ...

Vietnamese iced coffee (Cà Phê Sữa Đá) is strong, slow-dripped coffee mixed with sweetened condensed milk and poured over ice. The result is rich, sweet, and intensely caffeinated — one of the most distinctive cold coffee drinks in the world. The key is a phin filter (a small Vietnamese drip device) that brews a concentrated, full-bodied coffee with zero equipment cost. You can also shortcut it with an espresso machine or moka pot. ...

An espresso tonic is a double espresso poured over ice and tonic water. The result is a bitter, effervescent, refreshing drink with a citrusy brightness that tastes nothing like iced coffee. It takes about 2 minutes to make and works surprisingly well as a hot-weather alternative to your standard espresso drinks. This drink became popular in Scandinavian specialty coffee shops around 2010 and has since spread worldwide. Most people who try it become immediate converts. ...