The latte macchiato recipe
for your table
Heat the whole milk to about 60 degrees and froth it until there are two to three centimetres of fine foam on top. Do not let the milk boil: above seventy degrees, the foam collapses and the milk tastes boiled.
Rinse the tall glass with hot water and pour in the milk and foam, filling it to about two-thirds. Let it stand for half a minute so the foam settles gently on top of the milk.
Make the espresso and immediately pour it in slowly, in a thin stream along the side of the glass or over the rounded side of a spoon. Never pour the milk onto the espresso, as everything will mix and you’ll end up with a café au lait without layers.
Sprinkle cocoa powder or cinnamon over the foam and serve with a long spoon. For the adult version, add the amaretto or Baileys to the milk in step two, not afterward.
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The story
Latte macchiato literally means spotted milk, which is exactly the order of the recipe: milk with a spot of coffee in it. With a cappuccino, it is the other way around: the espresso goes into the cup first, and you pour the milk over it, in roughly equal parts coffee, milk, and foam. Koffie verkeerd falls somewhere in between: half coffee, half hot milk, served in a cup, with no one paying attention to layers. Of the three, a latte macchiato contains the most milk and the least coffee, making it the mildest in flavor.
The right glass
The whole point of a latte macchiato is being able to see the layers, and that only works in a tall, narrow glass. In a wide cup, the milk and coffee sit next to each other instead of on top of each other, so none of the effect remains. In a glass holding thirty-five to forty-five centiliters, the milk is high enough for the espresso to slowly sink through it, with some space still left above the foam. Thick-walled pressed glass keeps the milk warm longer, while a double-walled glass with a handle can be picked up without burning your fingers. Looking for something for espresso or cappuccino? Check out the cappuccino glasses.
La Rochère Ouessant Latte Macchiato Glass 43 cl (6 pieces)
Luigi Bormioli Thermic Glass Coffee Glass 29.5 cl With Handle (2 pieces)
Both sets together € 60,90.
The right tools
For a latte macchiato, besides the glass, use a bar spoon that reaches the bottom of the tall glass, a nutmeg grater for grating chocolate or cinnamon over the foam, and a jigger to measure the espresso and any splash precisely. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 3 bar tools together € 72,80.
What do you use to make a latte macchiato with a splash?
Without alcohol, a latte macchiato is simply milk, espresso, and foam. If you want to add a splash, liqueur works best. Popular bottles include amaretto and Baileys. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it pairs with, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
With barista oat milk, you will still get firm foam; with almond milk, the foam remains thinner and collapses more quickly. Stirring half a teaspoon of vanilla or caramel syrup into the milk makes the bottom layer sweeter without making the layers disappear. For the adult version, stir 2 cl amaretto or Baileys into the milk before adding the espresso. If you want it stronger, use a double espresso of 6 cl and keep the milk at twenty centiliters; the proportions will remain correct. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Rinse the glass with hot water first, so the milk cools less quickly and the foam stays in place longer. Put a long spoon alongside it, because you eat the foam and drink the coffee. Serve it immediately: after a few minutes, the layers blend together and you are left with an ordinary coffee with milk.
Good to know
Why does the milk go into the glass first?
Because otherwise the layers will not form. If the milk and foam are already in the glass, the espresso slowly sinks through them and remains visible as a dark band. If you pour it the other way around, the milk falls forcefully into the coffee, everything mixes at once, and you are left with an evenly brown coffee. It tastes good, but it is a koffie verkeerd, not a latte macchiato.
What milk temperature do you want?
Around sixty degrees. Then the milk is hot enough to drink, and the milk sugars have just become sweet, while the protein still holds firm foam. Above seventy degrees, the foam collapses and the milk develops a cooked taste that cannot be removed. If you do not have a thermometer, stop as soon as the jug becomes too hot to hold for more than a few seconds.
The difference from cappuccino and koffie verkeerd
With a cappuccino, the espresso goes into the cup first, followed by the milk, in roughly equal parts coffee, milk, and foam. Koffie verkeerd is half coffee and half hot milk, served in a cup without layers. A latte macchiato has the most milk and a single espresso, and it is the only one of the three where the pouring order is the whole point.
How much milk for how much coffee?
For a 3 cl espresso, allow approximately twenty-five centilitres of milk, two to three centimetres of which should be foam. That fits perfectly in a thirty-five-to-forty-five-centilitre glass, leaving some space above the foam. If you use a double espresso, keep the milk to twenty to thirty centilitres; otherwise, the coffee will disappear into the milk.
With or without alcohol
Without a shot of liqueur, this is coffee with milk and anyone can drink it. With 2 cl amaretto or Baileys, it becomes a drink for adults; stir the liqueur into the milk before adding the espresso, so the layers remain intact. Alcohol is not for anyone under eighteen: NIX18.
Frequently asked questions
Why do my layers run into each other?
Usually because the espresso goes in too quickly or because the foam is too thin. Pour the coffee in a thin stream along the side of the glass or over the rounded side of a spoon, and make sure you have two to three centimetres of firm foam. A cold glass also works against you, so rinse it with hot water first.
Which glass do you use for a latte macchiato?
A tall, narrow glass of about thirty-five to forty-five centilitres. Tall and narrow, so the layers sit on top of each other instead of beside each other, and made of glass, because you cannot see them in earthenware. Thick-walled pressed glass keeps the milk warm longer; a double-walled glass with a handle lets you pick it up without burning your fingers.
Can I make a latte macchiato without a milk frother?
Yes. Heat the milk in a saucepan to about sixty degrees, then whisk it vigorously for half a minute, or shake it cold in a sealed jar and then heat it briefly. The foam will be coarser than with a steam wand, but firm enough for the espresso to sink through it.
Which milk gives the best foam?
Whole cow's milk, because the protein keeps the foam firm and the fat makes it creamy. Of the plant-based milks, barista oat milk foams best; almond milk stays thinner and collapses more quickly. Semi-skimmed milk also works, but that foam does not last as long.
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