Basics
How to Make a Cortado
Equal parts espresso and silky steamed milk in a small glass — the Spanish-born drink for people who want milk without losing the coffee.
Ingredients
- 1 double espresso (about 36 g)
- About 60 ml cold whole milk
Steps
- Pull a double espresso straight into a small 120 ml glass — a Gibraltar-style tumbler is traditional.
- Steam the milk to about 55–60 °C with very little air: you want a glossy, paint-like texture, not a cap of froth.
- Swirl the jug and tap out any large bubbles, then pour the milk gently into the centre of the espresso in a thin, steady stream.
- Stop when the glass is full and the drink is an even tan colour. Serve immediately — it is meant to be small and drunk quickly.
Tips
- One to one: a cortado is roughly equal parts espresso and milk. Add more milk and you have made a flat white.
- Steam the milk cooler than for a latte — lower temperature keeps the espresso's sweetness in front.
- No steam wand? Warm the milk and shake it hard in a sealed jar for ten seconds, then let the big bubbles settle.
The cortado is the drink baristas order when they visit each other’s cafés. It is small, quick and honest: a double espresso with roughly the same amount of steamed milk, served in a glass barely bigger than a shot. The word comes from the Spanish cortar, “to cut” — the milk cuts the acidity and heat of the espresso without burying it. If a latte is a milk drink with coffee in it, a cortado is a coffee with just enough milk to make it kind.
What makes it a cortado
Two things. The first is the ratio, close to one part espresso to one part milk; that is what keeps the coffee flavour in charge. The second is the milk texture. Cortado milk is steamed with almost no air, so it comes out glossy and pourable rather than foamy — a thin film on top at most. Add more milk and a thicker layer of microfoam and you have crossed into flat-white territory; add more still and you have a latte. The lines are blurry in practice, but the cortado is the smallest and strongest of the three.
It is usually served in a small straight-sided glass rather than a cup. This is partly tradition — it is how they are served across Spain, and the “Gibraltar” glass that American cafés use is simply a cheap tumbler that happened to be the right size — and partly practical: you can see the layers, and the glass is small enough to hold with two fingers.
Getting the milk right
Because there is so little milk, its temperature and texture are easier to notice than in a bigger drink. Steam it cooler than you would for a latte, around 55 to 60 °C; hotter milk tastes flatter and hides the espresso’s sweetness. Keep the steam wand just under the surface for a second or two at most, then submerge it and let the milk spin. When it is done, swirl the jug until it looks like wet paint, tap it once on the counter, and pour slowly into the centre of the glass. You are not trying to draw a picture; you are trying to keep the colour even.
When to order it
A cortado is the right choice when you want something with milk but you are also curious about the coffee itself — it is the milk drink that shows you the most about the beans. It is also the right size for a second coffee of the day, or for a quick stop between sights when you do not want to wait for a large cup to cool. Ours is a double shot of Calibre Coffee in a small glass, steamed cool and poured on the spot. You will find it on our menu every day on Sultanahmet Square — see the menu.