Sparkling Americano

Ryan is an espresso fiend (he even has a site devoted to two of his favorite things: logo design and coffee). In the last few years, he has gone from chugging brewed coffee with cream and sugar, to drinking dry cappuccinos, to sipping plain ristretto shots of premium espresso. Are we coffee snobs? Yes, unappologetically so.
I, however, can rarely handle straight espresso. A couple years ago we heard about someone making a sparkling americano at a barista competition (yes, there is such a thing). So we have played with the idea and come up with something that I think is really delightful, and so refreshing in the heat of summer.
Pull one shot of good quality espresso for each glass you’ll be making. We used the Epic Espresso blend by 49th Parallel which works beautifully here. While the espresso is hot, stir in half a teaspoon of agave nectar (or more if you are a sugar fiend).You could really use any sweetener, but we found that honey overpowered the espresso. Agave nectar also has a much better glycemic profile than refined sugars, which means you are less likely to have a sugar crash after drinking this. Pour the sweetened espresso into a martini shaker with plenty of ice. Shake well. This quickly chills the espresso and creates a nice foam “crema”. Pour espresso into a tall glass with ice and top with sparkling water.
Alternately, if you don’t have an espresso machine at home, you could order this at a cafe. Just buy a small bottle of sparkling water and ask for a shot of espresso with a little sweetener in a glass with lots of ice. I hope you enjoy it. (We also recently made coffee smoothies with almond milk and berries. It was… strange. That one definitely needs some work.)