Italy's Iced Coffee Conundrum
Despite myriad icy treats and cool confections, in Italy, iced coffee is rarer than the unicorn. Here's how to find it.
Italy has an ice aversion.
Apart from cocktails, in the fifteen plus years I’ve lived here, I’ve rarely seen ice water. Only well into the 21st-century did I notice a few lucky cubes in a Coke.
This may seem counterintuitive in a nation that may as well have invented—and certainly perfected gelato.
The popsicle selection here is dizzying. Ghiacciolo (Ghee-ach-óh-low) is an essential word to learn prior your Italian summer vacation.
Magnums and Double Magnums, oh my!
Algida brand is responsible for multitudes of icy treats on sticks, in cups, and in cones.
Their iconic chocolate-coated Magnum ice-cream bar lives up to its name in flavor alone. Size-wise, even the double magnum—which refers to a double coating—is of average girth, but it gets the job done.
I owe much of my summer weight gain to the Liuk- a creamy, lemony confection with a stick of black licorice in place of the otherwise inedible wooden stick.
When dining seaside, up and down the coast, you’ll inevitably end a meal with a sorbetto—a slushy- sorbet hybrid served in a Prosecco flute, or in a halved lemon if they’re being extra cute. It’s usually flavored with lemon or a kick of limoncello liqueur.
There’s a similar, and wildly popular coffee-flavored treat called crema al caffè. I’ll never forget my first. A beach bar in Puglia, a glorified kiosk.
They churned them out into Dixie Cup-size to-go cups from a soft serve machine.
Considering the Dairy Queen-style presentation, I had very low expectations.
That might be partly why it blew my mind. Crema al caffè surprised and delighted me to such an extent I felt a palpable addiction forming. In the name of journalistic integrity, I immediately ordered another one.
The true test of extraordinary dishes—sweet or savory—is that the moment they’re finished, your entire body craves more. This goes for people too.
I could include coffee granita and affogato—ice cream drenched in espresso—but by now we’ve descended into dessert territory.
So why not ice in coffee?
The Italian ice aversion tracks.
Ski culture is alive and well. While Italians up and down the peninsula lament the colder seasons, they’ll happily bundle up in parkas and scarves. They handle it with style, heat lamps, and hot spiced vin brulé or vino caldo aka mulled wine.
The problem is cold, where cold is not expected.
A blast of cold air, colloquially known as un colpo di freddo, literally, a cold strike, can come from an open window or too much air conditioning. It will make give you a fever, a sore throat or worse.
I’ve been scolded for eating to slowly: La pasta si fredda! (the pasta will get cold).
A cube of ice in a steaming hot espresso doubly offends Italian sensibility. It’s unexpected, but it also disrupts a cherished tradition of excellence.
Espresso is served steaming hot and downed in two sips max. I’ve never considered myself a southerner. I’m a Midwesterner through through. But since moving to Rome in 2001, I’ve developed firmly southern tastes. I’m meridionale, as they say.
Where does northerner end and southerner begin? There’s no honest geographical designation. It depends on who you ask. Bias is firmly planted in both directions and accompanied by an unwavering superiority complex.
Variations on Caffeine: Cold, Iced, and Spiked
Caffè Freddo
Literally, cold coffee. Refrigerated espresso that baristas keep in a jar. Originally it was always presweetened, but in more health-conscious times, there’s often an unsweetened version too. Order it sugar-free amaro (lit. bitter) and sweeten to your liking.
Caffè freddo is usually served in a shot-glass and the serving size is longer than a typical two-sip or ristretto espresso. You can ask for ice, but they’ll just say “è gia freddo.” It’s already cold. If you’re lucky, you might get a few cubes.
Caffè Shakerato
Is a regular espresso shaken over ice in a cocktail shaker, hence the name. In this case you can request sugar or amaro pre-shake.
The shaking creates a voluminous foam that requires a slightly larger glass. It’s usually served in a seen it in a small rocks glass, but in the chicest settings they will serve shakerato in a martini glass with a coffee bean garnish and dusting of cocoa.
Caffè Leccese: the king of iced coffee.
When it comes to iced coffee, the way you’re used to it—coffee on ice—there’s only one place in Italy that embraces (and excels) in the concept. Lecce, the largest city in Italy’s bootheel region of Puglia, is known for its baroque beauty, the swarthy, smoky red wines made in the surrounding Salento growing region, and and iced coffee all their own.
Caffè Leccese
Lecce-style iced coffee comes served in a rocks glass. A single or double espresso poured over a generous mountain of ice cubes and topped off with a locally produced sweet almond syrup, deceptively referred to as latte di mandorla (almond milk).
You can ask them to hold the almond and then sweeten it (or not) to your liking.I was delighted to discover exactly the iced coffee I’ve been trying to order for years.
I’ve groveled for ice cubes at the bar, and feigned satisfaction over the two or three sad cubes they place in the cup, which melt away instantly.
Caffè Leccese is a regional specialty, but you might get lucky and find one at bars up and down the peninsula during summer. I found one in Rome at my local, Romoli!
Caffè Corretto on the Rocks
Caffè corretto, translates to “coffee, corrected,” as if anything were wrong to begin with…
And yet, a splash of flavored liqueur like Amaretto (Adriatico is my personal favorite) , or stronger distilled spirits like Grappa or Sambuca (sweet, anise-infused and Ouzo-like) all make for a lovely “correction.”
Make it a double espresso (and a double splash of liquor) and serve over a generous portion of ice cubes. You’ have to do this at home, unless you can convince the barista for a cup of ice on the side.
Greek-Style Iced Coffee: Freddo Espresso
Just across the pond From Puglia (and likely the reason this part of Italy embraced ice), Greece reigns supreme for their version iced coffee, which is consumed year-round, much to my surprise.
Despite the Italian name (freddo espresso means ‘cold espresso’) Italians north of Puglia want nothing to do with this.
It’s made with a double shot of espresso and 2-4 ice cubes, then whipped with a frappé machine until foamy. It’s served with a tiny straw to cut through the foam, and intensely refreshing.
I loved it so much I bought a machine. It paid for itself in one week last August.
When ordering it in Greece, they’ll ask if you wanted it sweetened pre-frappé: ζάχαρη - Tzáhari? You nod or say, yes: ναι – nay, or ask for it black: σκέτο – skáy-toh.
The infamous Freddo Espresso or Freddo Cappuccino (with frothed milk) comes served with a tiny straw to cut through the foam. The Greeks manage to spend 45 minutes sipping on of these, multiple times a day.
I last five minutes at best.
Cross-Cultural “Correction”
For the ultimate Greek-Italian hybrid iced coffee extravaganza, add a dash of liqueur pre-frappé.
Greek Mastiha is perfect option. It’s delicately sweetened with a unique aromatic spectrum that includes mint, eucalyptus and coconut.
Let me know if you try any of these on the road or at home!