Italian coffee culture is world renowned, best known for strong espresso downed at the bar counter and breakfast cappuccinos paired with flaky croissants. Every region of Italy, however, has its own culinary hallmarks — and coffee is no stranger to such geographic differences. In Southern Italy’s Puglia region, one particular coffee drink reigns supreme. That drink is known as Caffe’ Leccese, which generally consists of nothing more than two key ingredients: Italian espresso and almond milk syrup.
In Salento, deep in the heel of Italy’s boot, this drink crops up across bars and restaurants, and is akin to the region’s version of iced coffee. Unlike a standard espresso or cappuccino, a Caffe’ Leccese is, in fact, served on ice — something of a rarity in Italy. The country at large is not known for iced coffee whatsoever, with the exception of summertime’s beloved caffè shakerato, which inspired Starbucks’ shaken espresso.
Yet Caffe’ Leccese is not only unique, it’s also delicious. It consists of that espresso base with just a hint of sweetened almond milk or almond milk syrup. This straightforward ingredient list creates a clear roadmap for anyone looking to replicate it.
Make your own caffe’ leccese by chilling strong espresso with almond milk syrup
So long, iced lattes. While Puglia’s Caffe’ Leccese doesn’t stray too far from a standard iced espresso drink, it requires an Italian-esque finesse. In Italy, the drink consists of brewed espresso of the utmost quality. At home, you may not have access to Italian beans, so any Moka pot-made espresso should do the trick.
In Italian bars, the espresso is served on its own, alongside a separate glass of ice and almond syrup. That makes matters all the easier for anyone replicating the drink outside of Italy, as the bulk of the legwork occurs in preparing the espresso. So, once the hot coffee is ready, simply pour it over your ice cubes and almond addition. The latter leaves a little room for variance; it can come in the form of almond syrup — which, if you don’t feel like preparing, you can buy on Amazon — or standard almond milk. As for the balance of ingredients, you generally want a 2:1 ratio between espresso and almond syrup. However, if you prefer your coffee on the sweeter and creamier side, there’s no rule that says you can’t adjust accordingly. With the perfect coffee, after all, you can practically taste your next Italian getaway.
