Visual Guide: Just How Simple Are Affogato and Sparkling Iced Americano to Make?

Affogato is made by pouring espresso over ice cream — the hot coffee melts the ice cream and builds a rich foam on top. Honestly, it's less a coffee drink and more a dessert. So how do you make one? Let FrontStreet Coffee walk you through it.

What You'll Need

Ice cream, a wide-mouthed container, a shot of espresso, and a cookie.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1:

Scoop a generous spoonful of ice cream into the container. (Add two more scoops if you like — entirely your call!)

Step 2:

Extract 38 grams of espresso.

Step 3:

Pour the espresso gently over the ice cream — pouring slowly preserves more coffee crema on the ice cream's surface.

Step 4:

Stand the cookie in the ice cream.

And there you have it — a delicious affogato, ready to enjoy!

How to Make Sparkling Iced Americano

And how about a sparkling iced Americano?

You'll need a 300ml glass, a bottle of sparkling water, a shot of espresso, and a good amount of ice.

Step-by-Step Instructions

Step 1:

Add 80 grams of ice cubes to the glass, then pour in 170 grams of sparkling water.

Step 2:

Extract 38 grams of espresso.

Step 3:

Pour the espresso over the sparkling water, give it a stir, and drink.

Just like that, a sparkling iced Americano is done!

FrontStreet Coffee Recommendation

Both drinks live or die on the quality of that single espresso shot, so start with a bean built for espresso. FrontStreet Coffee's Classic Blend — the traditional Mandheling-Brazil recipe with a touch of Robusta — extracts thick, golden crema with butter, nut, spice, and dark chocolate aromatics, which is exactly what you want cascading over vanilla ice cream or cutting through cold sparkling water. Its low acidity and creamy body also make it forgiving for beginners on entry-level home machines.

If you'd rather give these two simple recipes a fruity twist, pull the shot with the medium-roasted Strawberry Candy blend instead — grape, dried blueberry, and sweet orange notes turn a sparkling Americano into a bubbly fruit soda, while the Costa Rica Blackberry SOE adds blackberry sweetness and a cranberry-cookie finish that pairs wonderfully with ice cream.