Lifetime Latte (Macchiato)

This drink was designed to be enjoyed in the late afternoon or evening. Choose decaf if you’re sensitive to caffeine. I like to call it a Lifetime Latte for the alliteration, but I believe it’s technically a macchiato because of the way the drink is layered.

Serves: 1

Time: The blink of an eye (but really about 15-20 minutes, including clean-up time)

You will need:

• 1 large styrofoam or paper cup
• 1 glass, filled about halfway with ice
• Espresso machine or coffee maker
• Milk frother
• Knife
• Full-length mirror
• Separate mug or frothing pitcher

Ingredients:

• 4-6 freshly brewed shots of espresso or 1 cup strong coffee, divided
• 1 Tbsp honeysuckle syrup (click here for recipe)
• Splash of vanilla syrup
• 1 cup whole milk (or milk of choice)
• 1 Tbsp rose syrup (click here for recipe)
• Dash of cinnamon
• Store-bought cold foam (flavor of choice)
• 1 tsp sage, elderflower, and pear syrup (click here for recipe)
• Extra or additional ingredients to make a loved one (or dog) something special, too. This may be a coffee, a cocktail, or a bowl of whipped cream.

Directions:

1. Look into the empty styrofoam or paper cup and consider the potential. This could become anything. Tabula rasa. Optimism! Endless possibilities! (But not really, because I already told you which syrups to have on hand.)
2. Froth the milk in the mug or frothing pitcher, then carefully pour it into the styrofoam or paper cup. This drink could theoretically still be almost anything. Of course, it’s milk, so it will have characteristics of the milk in the carton it was poured from for now. That’s exciting. It’s the basis for a whole new creation!
3. Pour in the honeysuckle and vanilla syrups for the nostalgia of carefree summer evenings and give it a little stir. 
4. Next, add the rose syrup and think of your first love. The rose adds more delicate sweet notes, but there’s also a freshness there, which livens up the drink. You can use the cup to warm your hands and sink into the memories of those sweet, innocent, cuddly days full of excitement and stolen kisses. Go ahead and smile at it like you’re feeling a little giddy, reliving your memories–no one’s watching! 
5. Add the cinnamon for a little sass, spice, and individualism. This isn’t your average sweet, floral latte. It’s not all cuddly and sweet–it knows things. Everything, in fact. It’s starting to take on a distinct flavor of its own. The milk, honeysuckle, and rose are still there, but they become muted. Stir the cinnamon in and watch how it colors and flattens the milk froth when you do. It’s unique and, dare I say, entertaining? If this coffee were a person (ahem), it would’ve just donned a pair of Doc Martens to go with its skirt. Sit back and meditate on the patterns of cinnamon sprinkles for a second before you move on to the next step.
6. It’s finally time for the dark and bitter–yet delightfully complex–coffee. Take half and slowly pour it in over the rim. Watch the surface of the beverage rise until it’s almost level with the top of the cup, threatening to spill over. Stop just before it’s dangerously full.
7. Pick the drink up from the counter and use the knife to saw a hole in the bottom of the fragile cup. The beverage will trickle out a little at first as the crack begins to form, but eventually, the bottom will fall out. Let it. You’re not in control anymore. It will make a sticky mess, and you’ll have to clean it up off of the floor. Hopefully, you’ll have some help in the form of a family member or friend. It might just be your dog. (In this case, shoo him/her away because all that caffeine’s probably not good for dogs, and most dogs don’t use towels to clean messes!) In an ideal world, a professional would swoop in from the sidelines and help with superior techniques to get in all the crevices. But we don’t all have access to those, so do what you can with what you have.
8. Hold the empty cup with the hole in the bottom in your hand. You’re probably baffled at this point. Trust the process. Look through the hole and into a full-length mirror. Take a good look and see that your body and mind are not the same as they were when you started making this latte-macchiato, this life. 
9. Decide to keep going anyway because you really need a boost–now more than ever. This time, you’ll do it differently, with more knowledge, a hint of what made drink #1 special, and a new angle. Notice how many untouched ingredients are still on the counter, waiting to be deployed.
10. Start over with the sage, elderflower, and pear syrup in the bottom of the glass with ice. Some people may prefer to add alcohol at this point, but I’ll leave that up to you. I’ve left it out of this recipe, but I won’t judge. Espresso martinis are a thing for a reason. 
11. Add the remaining (cooled, by now, but still complex–just in a different way) espresso or coffee until the glass is almost full. Scrape the remnants of the light and airy milk foam from the sides of the cup or pitcher you frothed it in and put a dollop on top of your drink. Giggle at how ridiculous it feels. Breathe deeply and you’ll still smell the remnants of honeysuckle, rose, vanilla, and cinnamon in the air. 
12. Top the whole drink off with cold foam, as desired, if you’d prefer a veneer of sweetness, even knowing what you went through to get here. Watch the cold foam infiltrate the black coffee, curling its way toward the bottom of the glass, dodging ice cubes as it goes. Listen as the ice settles.
13. Make a separate drink with the extra ingredients you set aside for your loved one, who joined you in the kitchen earlier. (Unless it’s your dog. In that case, put some whipped cream in a bowl.)
14. Sit on your porch in the dim light with the one(s) who helped you clean up the mess, enjoying a drink well-made and the tendrils of cool air on your face. Close your eyes and take a sip. Savor the sweetness, the bitterness, and all the subtle, intricate flavors that make up your new beverage until all the light drains from the sky.

Note: If you can’t bear to let the hot coffee go to waste, I won’t tell anyone if you want to capture most of it in another mug. Youth’s often wasted on the young. You don’t really have to waste your coffee, too, to enjoy this drink. Due to the nature of the instructions, however, you’ll still make a mess. 

And yes, the second drink has so little milk, it’s more of an iced coffee than an iced latte or macchiato, but by the time you’re done, you won’t care what it’s called. You’ll just be grateful you had it.