Marocchino

Marocchino, also called vetrino o espressino in Southern Italy, is a coffee drink resulted from Cavour’s bicerin and it’s like a little cappuccino in glass.

It was created in the mid-twentieth century in Alessandria (Italy), in the Bar Carpano; it was inh front of Borsalino, a famous brand of hats. The name Marocchino (Italian for Moroccan) is derived from its colour, as marocchino was a type of light brown leather used in the 1930s to make hair bands.

Let's first look at the original recipe and then the variations needed for a cold version, to be enjoyed in the height of summer.



Ingredients:

2,5 cl of espresso (coffee)

1,5 cl of milk froth (as in cappuccino)

q.s. of unsweeted cocoa powder



Instructions

Prepare the milk froth with the espresso machine. In a small glass (tipically for cold coffee) wet inside with steam, dust with cocoa powder, then top with milk froth and espresso for last, with a second dusting of cocoa on top on customer request.

Another version uses first the espresso then the milk froth.

In some regions of northern Italy, thick hot cocoa or hazelnut cocoa spread is added instead of cocoa powder.

Cold version

Prepare the milk froth with a shaker or a jar shaking vigorously, with or without ice. You can use also a Coffee Plunger (French press) to prepare milk froth.

Wet inside a small glass with steam or a spray bottle, dust with cocoa powder, then top with (cold) milk froth and cold espresso for last, with a second dusting of cocoa on top on customer request.

This recipe is in my(Italian) book « Il marketing nel bicchiere – L’arte di vendere emozioni » (Marketing in the glass), published by Morrone Editore.

Ricetta in italiano (freddo)