The birth of my son spurred a self-transition from coffee-as-pleasure to coffee-as-fuel. In simple words, coffee was no longer a pleasure-inducing drink but a necessity to prepare me for a demanding day.
Once upon a time, I enjoyed the act of waking up, putting on a pot of water, prepping my French press, and quietly considering the day ahead with zero apprehension. With a baby in tow, I no longer cared about the provenance of the beans, the style of roast, or the method of preparation; what mattered most was that it effectively powered me through the first crucial moments of the day.
Now that my son is four, and waking up is met with his solo run to the bathroom, I’ve found myself reconnecting with coffee in a new way. I’ve given up drip coffee for a year now. I now enjoy espresso only. Of course, that means a daily run to the coffee shop, but that investment has been rewarded with a better understanding of coffee and my personal taste preferences.
In the process, I’ve uncovered a fantastic style of preparation called a “Shakerato.” It’s pretty simple: espresso that is shaken over ice with sugar. Its froth is achieved wholly without milk which gives it the look of a properly foamed beverage. This ice-cold, quaffable jolt of potent coffee is precisely what I enjoy drinking in the summer heat of Charleston.
Brooks Reitz is an entrepreneur and restaurateur based in Charleston, SC. He has been recognized nationally for his work in the restaurant world and for his company, Jack Rudy Cocktail Co., which produces small-batch cocktail mixers for home and restaurant use. He writes about drinking “the good stuff,” and is the father to a crime-fighting 4-year old boy.
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POSTED IN: FOOD · TAGGED: COFFEE, COFFEE LOVER, ICE COFFEE