Menu
Author:
Franco Salzillo
The difference between regular mint and peppermint is that peppermint has a more intense and pungent flavor. Cooking with these aromatic plants is incredibly fun, especially if you get your hands on some fresh leaves. Luckily, peppermint extract is easy to find, and it’s faithful to the real stuff.
Let’s make ourselves a peppermint ice latte that combines the robustness of coffee, the creaminess of milk and the freshness of peppermint, all in one cup.
Here’s the deal. Peppermint latte is one of the most famous holiday drinks. It’s part of many people’s Christmas traditions, and it’s easy to see why — it just tastes like what you want to drink on a chilly evening. Together with the scents coming from Christmas trees and pine nuts, peppermint coffee makes the holiday spirit so lively. Did you know December third is National Peppermint Latte Day?
Back to our recipe. You’ll need good coffee, so I use freshly brewed espresso. You’ll also need milk and here choose whatever sings to you. The thicker, the better. Peppermint extract is a noble ingredient. A few drops do wonders, so a small jar will probably last you a lifetime. The thing is you don’t just add it to your coffee — you make peppermint syrup.
Here’s what you need to do. Dissolve sugar in equal parts of water. I recommend working with at least a cup of water and sugar, but feel free to make a large batch. Then add the peppermint extract to the syrup and then use the concoction to sweeten and flavor your latte.
Making the peppermint syrup is the hard part, and it’s not even that hard. Then you just need to warm your milk, brew your coffee and flavor it. That’s a perfect latte right there, and it’s infused with the loveliest holiday scents!
For the peppermint syrup:
For the latte:
For the peppermint syrup, pour the water and the sugar in a small saucepan over medium heat and stir until dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the peppermint extract. Bottle and reserve.
For the peppermint latte, pour the milk into a small saucepan and heat it on the stovetop over medium heat until steamy. Remove from heat and add the peppermint syrup. Reserve.
Brew your espresso and pour it into two large glasses, top them with the peppermint milk and garnish with whipped cream and a mint sprig.
