Signature drink
How to Make an Iced Strawberry Latte
Fresh strawberry purée, cold milk and espresso layered over ice — our pink summer signature, with a strawberry base you can make ahead.
Ingredients
- 6–8 ripe strawberries (about 100 g), hulled
- 1 tablespoon sugar or honey
- 1 double espresso (about 36 g), cooled for a minute
- About 180 ml cold whole milk or oat milk
- A full glass of ice cubes
Steps
- Make the strawberry base: mash or blend the strawberries with the sugar, then push through a sieve for a smooth, seedless purée. For a jammier base that keeps longer, simmer it for 3 minutes and let it cool.
- Spoon about 3 tablespoons of the strawberry base into the bottom of a tall glass.
- Fill the glass with ice and pour in the cold milk slowly, so the pink layer stays at the bottom.
- Pull the espresso, let it cool for a minute, and pour it gently over the milk so it sits on top.
- Serve layered with a straw or a long spoon, and stir before drinking so strawberry, milk and coffee come together.
Tips
- Very ripe strawberries make the difference — this drink is only as good as the fruit.
- The strawberry base keeps 3–4 days in the fridge, so make it ahead for a two-minute drink on a hot day.
- Leave out the espresso for a caffeine-free strawberry milk that children love.
The iced strawberry latte is the drink that turns heads on our terrace in summer: three layers in a tall glass — deep pink at the bottom, white in the middle, coffee-brown on top — and a flavour that surprises people who expect it to be a novelty. Strawberry and coffee sound like an odd pair, but the fruit’s bright acidity does the same job that the sourness of a light-roast espresso does, lifting the milk and keeping the drink from tasting heavy. Stirred together, it is fruity, creamy and unmistakably still a coffee.
The strawberry base
Everything depends on the fruit. Use ripe, red-all-the-way-through strawberries — the pale, hard ones sold out of season will give you a drink that is pink but tastes of very little. Hull them, mash or blend them with a spoon of sugar or honey, and push the purée through a sieve to remove the seeds. That is the quick, fresh version, and it tastes the most like strawberries. If you want a base that keeps, simmer the purée for three minutes; it thickens to a loose jam, holds for three or four days in the fridge, and layers even more neatly because it is heavier.
Frozen strawberries work well in the cooked version and are often riper than fresh ones out of season. Avoid strawberry syrup from a bottle unless you must — it is what makes most café “strawberry lattes” taste like sweets.
Building the layers
The layers are not just for photographs; they keep each part fresh until the moment you stir. Strawberry base first, in the bottom of the glass. Then ice, right to the top. Then cold milk, poured slowly down the inside of the glass so it does not stir up the pink. Then the espresso, cooled for a minute so it does not melt the ice, poured gently over the milk until it floats in a dark band on top. Serve with a straw or a long spoon, admire it for a second, and stir.
Whole milk gives the creamiest result and the clearest layers. Oat milk is the best plant option and its sweetness suits the fruit.
The coffee
A double espresso is the right amount: enough to be clearly a coffee once everything is mixed, not so much that the strawberry disappears. A medium roast with chocolate notes pairs well; strawberry and chocolate is a combination nobody has ever regretted. If you have no machine, strong moka-pot coffee or a shot of cold brew concentrate both work.
When to order it
Afternoon on the square, when it is hot and you want something that is both a coffee and a treat. It is the most photographed drink on our menu and, in strawberry season, one of the most ordered. We make it with fresh fruit, a double shot of Calibre Coffee and your choice of milk — see the menu.