Latte Corretto

Jeff the Chef
"Latte Corretto," from Make It Like a Man!

I melted down Anthon Berg Chocolate Liqueur bottles and blended them into my morning coffee, and dubbed the result “Latte Corretto.” One bottle is exactly the right amount to flavor a six-ounce latte and give it a lightly sweet, mocha note. It’s absolutely fabulous.

Ingredients for 1 six-ounce latte

1 Anthon Berg Chocolate Liqueur bottle
Espresso
4 oz. milk, or less to taste

How to do it:

  1. Unwrap the liqueur bottle and place it in a coffee cup. Microwave to melt the chocolate without boiling away the alcohol, about 20 seconds on full power. Stir to combine. Meanwhile, brew a single espresso shot.
  2. Pour the espresso into the melted chocolate and stir until well combined. You may need to microwave the mixture for 10 second bursts to get the ingredients to blend fully. Meanwhile, froth the milk.
  3. Pour the milk into the espresso mixture and enjoy. No need to stir.
"Latte Corretto," from Make It Like a Man!

Notes:

You could do this without the liqueur bottles, although it wouldn’t be quite as much fun. Simply use about a tablespoon’s-worth of chopped chocolate and perhaps two teaspoons of liqueur.

So far, I haven’t come across a liqueur flavor I haven’t liked, even some of the ones that seemed unlikely.

The backstory:

I have a shifting relationship with chocolate.

I used to be a chocoholic, but over time, I’ve found myself, although still in love with the flavor of chocolate, slightly overwhelmed by its rich texture. This is rarely an issue when chocolate is a component; I still love everything from chocolate cake to chocolate egg cream, and there’s nothing better than hot fudge sauce on vanilla ice cream. However, an artisanal chocolate bar or a luxurious truffle? Not quite as much any more.

Of course, I don’t speak about this often. It’s an affliction for which I’m seeking a cure, and I’m kind of old-school about keeping my issues to myself.

One of the Make It Like a Man! crew gave me a box of exotic chocolate liqueurs for Christmas. They’re unusual and very interesting; it was a very thoughtful gift for any foodie. (Thank you, Chris!) I was eager to try them, and they didn’t disappoint. They’re fantastic. Each one is a tiny chocolate bottle, filled with name-brand liqueur. The box suggests that they’re a two-bite item: you hold one upside down by it’s neck, bite off the bottom, drain the liqueur into your mouth, and then finish off the rest of the chocolate bottle in your second bite. It’s not only delicious, it’s fun.

However, I found that the chocolate – which is substantial – butted up against my evolving feelings on chocolate’s rich texture. That would keep me from eating all sixteen of them over any reasonable period of time … if it weren’t for my morning latte.

One chocolate bottle doesn’t contain enough liqueur to constitute day-drinking.

This latte recipe decidedly does not qualify as a boozy or spiked coffee drink. There is substantially less than a cocktail’s-worth of liqueur in each bottle.

So yes, I do have a cappuccino maker at home – and a very, very nice one at that.

I literally am one of the cultural elite, I guess. But hear me out. I live right across the street from a Starbucks, and work about a hundred yards from another one. And I love coffee. I could go to Starbucks five days a week. Hell, I could go once in the morning, and again in the afternoon. You know what that would cost? $1300-$2600 a year, easily. For that kind of money, you can have an exceedingly fancy machine … one machine will last a lifetime, thereby driving your coffee costs ever downward. I’ve had my current one now for more than a decade. (My previous one, a curious house-sitter filled the water tank with milk, thinking that was how it’s done. He’s dead to me now.)

Since I started making cappuccino at home, I go to Starbucks mainly only when I’m travelling. So am I elite? Or sensible? Or both? But wait, there’s more. My husband, who does not like coffee and never drinks it, has perfected the art of cappuccino making and brings me one every morning as I’m reading the news … in bed on weekend mornings. So I guess what I am is “living my best life.”

Using Stuff Up

As I’ve said many times before on this blog, “using stuff up” is one of the home cook’s most critical skills. Cappuccino, as it turns out, is an excellent vehicle for all sorts of things you’d like to get rid of. I opened a can of sweetened, condensed milk that I thought I’d dulce-de-leche’d, but hadn’t. Now what? A tablespoon, blended with an espresso shot, microwaved for 15 seconds to assist the blending … then you pour in the steamed milk, and you’ve got a very tasty (and probably highly caloric) treat. And over the space of a week? No more leftover condensed milk, which also seems like a treat, to me anyway. Got some extra simple or infused syrup you made for cocktails? Cappuccino. Extra butterscotch chips? Well, eat them … or melt them, blend them, and: cappuccino. You get the picture.

"Latte Corretto," from Make It Like a Man!
Latte Corretto

Credit for images on this page: Make It Like a Man! This content was not solicited by anyone, nor was it written in exchange for anything. We wish to express our thanks to Kesor.

I mentioned earlier in this post that a really fancy cappuccino machine would set you back less than $2600, and I stand by that. Even though a Google shopping search will return machines that go for as much as $45,000, you need to work your way down to the $3000 mark to find machines that aren’t intended for commercial purposes. Even then, you need to continue to work your way down to under $2000 to find machines that aren’t so ostentatious that they’re suitable only for nouveau riche reality TV stars. It’s only after you come under $2000 that you find machines that kick ass with out over-kill. Now, I wouldn’t be telling the whole truth if I didn’t also tell you that there are models available for around $25 dollars, but what are we, camping?

As you can see, the images show a latte. Some days I feel more like working up a foam, and other days I don’t. 

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62 thoughts on “Latte Corretto”

  1. Wow, Jeff, you blew me away with this one as I’d of never thought of using those little bottles in a latte. Over this way, Anthon Berg Liqueurs is the standard gift to take to a Christmas party. So, I have more than one box sitting in the liquor cabinet. Like you, I’m not that fond of them, but I’m melting one in my afternoon latte tomorrow, day drinker or not.
    FYI, Anton Berg is great chocolates, especially the one that’s a cookie topped with a plum Madeira paste and dipped in chocolate. Thanks for the inspiration…
    Ron recently posted…An update and “Löjrom, råraka, rödlök, & crème fraiche”…                                      

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    • Thanks! I hope you love it. I tried the rum today, and it was suprisingly not as magical as the others have been. But otherwise, ive been so pleased with them. Madeira paste sounds really good!

      Reply

  2. Hah! Whenever we go visit my wife’s family during the holidays, a box or two of these chocolates inevitably shows up. They sound fun, and they look cool…but I rarely select them from the countertop of assorted goodies. Now I know how to use ’em. In a latte! Excellent decision, my friend. This is why we are buds.

    Also, we have one of those ridiculously awesome (and expensive) cappuccino makers here at home, too. We’ve had ours for about 8 years, and I’d wager it’s paid for itself several times over by now. However, I have never tried putting milk in the water tank.
    David @ Spiced recently posted…Bacon Cheeseburger Monkey Bread

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  4. Oh my god I haven’t seen those little chocolate bottles in ages!!! What fun! Definitely not day drinking. The latte sounds fabulous!
    Mimi recently posted…Aligot

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  6. Chocolate, Liqueur. and espresso – it doesn’t get any better than that! What a creative idea. I just googled the Anthon Berg Liqueurs and now it is on my “next year’s” Christmas list for family, friends and clients. But of course, because of your inspiration, I am ordering me a package now because I have to try this recipe. Fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing.
    Linger recently posted…Crockpot Lasagna

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  10. Someone gave us some of the Berg chocolate liqueur bottles for Christmas, too. Since I don’t drink coffee, I just ate them! Fun way to make your coffee more fun, Jeff!
    David Scott Allen recently posted…¡Go Fish!

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    • They’re super cute. I have a some weird, hazy memory of having seen them before, maybe in a previous life.

      Reply

  16. Hey thats genius Jeff! I love the thought of melting my chocolate liquers into my daily coffee. I make my coffee in a cafetiere, Maybe I could just pour the boiling hot water in then drop the chocolate liquer in and stir it all up. What do you think? Ha ha!
    Neil recently posted…Chicken and Chorizo Pasta Bake

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    • I’m not sure what water and chocolate will mix very well, Neil! Plus, if it does, your coworkers will be so jealous!

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    • You could easily use just some chopped chocolate and a wee bit of liqueur.

      Reply

  21. Good Morning! We rarely drink any liqueurs, mainly cook with them. But we LOVE coffee so we would definitely try this idea- thanks Jeff!! So true about the cost of going to Starbucks everyday, I had to show it on paper to my girls, what they were spending per month = going broke! LOL……

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  22. I also invested in an espresso machine recently. It saves time and money by not going to Starbucks all the time. Now, Starbucks is an extra special treat. This is such a fun way to make coffee at home a little more exciting.
    Laura Dembowski recently posted…Paleo Banana Poppy Seed Cake

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  23. Dear Jeff, what a fun idea with a delicious result – I can relate to the fact that one finds chocolate to be somewhat overwhelming every once in a while and adding one of these cute liquer filled mini-chocolate bottles to your morning coffee sounds like a wonderful way to enjoy those lovely foodie gifts.
    Andrea recently posted…Honey Almond Squares

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    • Thank you! I just finished the last of them, and I really did enjoy them.

      Reply

  25. Hello Jeff,
    Latte corretto, the sound is really awesome! As far as I know, “Corretto” is an Italian beverage, maybe consists of a shot of espresso with a small amount of brandy. I never tried it but now I am following your recipe and definitely will try. Hope it will be great to taste.

    I am a huge coffee drinker and your prediction is true if I go to Starbucks or other cafes it cost $1300-$2600 a year that’s why I recently I bought a supper automative espresso machine from here https://www.bestproductshouse.com/best-super-automatic-espresso-machine/
    Gazi / Best Products House recently posted…Rancilio Silvia Espresso Machine Review For 2020.

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  26. Hey Jeff, thanks for the post. Now that’s something I’d never thought of before! What a brilliant idea. Everything is more fun when there’s a little alcohol included 😉 Did you come up with this idea yourself?
    Marty recently posted…How to get crema from an AeroPress

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    • Thanks! I did think of it myself. I was gifted the chocolates, and didn’t really like them on their own. Delicious, but too rich for my tastes. I knew of the Italian tradition of putting liqueur into espresso, and that led me to this idea.

      Reply

        • I’d be so curious to know what you come up with. There was a large variety of liqueurs in the assortment of bottles, and although I thought some paired better with coffee, there were none of them that I thought didn’t work at all. Of course, chocolate was part of each pairing, and lots of milk.

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  30. I think you’re spot on when you mentioned that chocolate can screwup your taste buds for anything following the chocolate. The chocolate leaves just too much residue on your tongue.

    I love coffee. To add chocolate to my coffee or latte, just muddles up the flavor of the coffee. One way around this is to find coffee beans that have natural notes of chocolate. One of the best coffees for this strong chocolate note is coffee from Costa Rica.

    Give it a try.

    Reply

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