Traditional Italian Affogato al Caffè

An Italian dessert of vanilla or fior di latte gelato drowned in hot espresso. The coffee melts the edge of the gelato into a bittersweet cream, the sweet vanilla and cream of the gelato set against the bitter edge of the espresso.

Origin & Story

Affogato means drowned, and that is the whole recipe: a scoop of gelato and a shot of hot espresso poured over it. The coffee melts the gelato at the edges, so the first spoonful is cold and creamy and the last is warm, sweet and bitter all at once.

The classic uses a single scoop of vanilla or fior di latte, the plain, milky gelato of Italian gelaterie, with one shot of espresso. Cafés usually serve it in a tall glass with a narrow bottom, so the gelato melts into the espresso at the bottom, and people eat it with a spoon or sip the melted part through a straw.

Nobody knows who invented it. It is believed to have started in Italian cafés, where espresso and gelato were served side by side, sometime in the mid-1900s, and it became popular around the world as café culture grew in the later twentieth century.

Variations add a splash of liqueur such as amaretto or Kahlúa, or swap the vanilla for chocolate, coconut or berries.

To make one, chill a glass and put in a scoop of vanilla gelato, about 60 to 80 g. Pull a double shot, 18 g of coffee into about 36 g, and pour it straight over the gelato. Serve it at once with a spoon, because the contrast between hot and cold lasts only a minute or two.

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