What Is An Affogato-Style Shot?

The affogato-style shot is something that catches many eyes at Starbucks, though it usually doesn’t come with a description on the menu. This may leave some people wondering: just what is an affogato-style shot?

The affogato-style shot adds a hot shot of espresso on top of any cold drink at Starbucks, making the drink reminiscent of the traditional Italian dessert. You can also order the affogato shot decaf if you want the flavor without the caffeine.

If you’re curious about the affogato, then keep reading. In this article, we’ll break down just what an affogato is, what the affogato shot is, how to pronounce the word itself, whether it’s best served hot or cold, and what drinks it’s best served with.

What is an Affogato?

Coffee affogato with vanilla ice cream

An affogato is a classic Italian dessert that combines the flavors of ice cream and coffee. The affogato is prepared by pouring a shot of espresso right on top of a scoop of either ice cream or gelato. Given the existence of coffee-flavored ice cream, the fact that this flavor combination tastes great should come as no surprise.

The ice cream or gelato used to make affogato is typically vanilla flavored, although it can also be made using other flavors. These additional flavors include chocolate, salted caramel, and even cookie dough. In addition, some places will add toppings to their affogatos, such as chocolate shavings, caramel sauce, and roasted pistachios.

If you want to find a place that serves traditional affogato, be on the lookout for an old-school Italian-style coffee bar or some traditional Italian restaurants. Also, if there is a cafe near you that serves ice cream, that would be another good place to look.

Remember, the worst thing that can happen if you ask is that the server says “no,” so there is no harm in asking if they serve affogato.

What Does an Affogato-Style Shot Mean?

Since Starbucks doesn’t serve traditional affogatos, they offer an affogato-style shot. This is a modifier that can be added to any drink on the Starbucks menu. For example, ordering a drink “affogato-style” will add a hot shot of espresso to the top of the drink.

As you can see, this attempts to make the drink reminiscent of the affogato dessert, essentially making the drink “affogato-styled.”

Starbucks specifically recommends using this modifier for their frappuccinos. Even more specifically, they recommend getting their vanilla bean, caramel, and mocha frappuccinos affogato style. Although, you can likely order any cold drink affogato-style.

This shot of espresso usually goes on top of the whipped cream that tops the drink, although some have reported it being under the cream sometimes. If you prefer it one way or another, it may be worth your time to specify where you want the shot poured at the counter.

This affogato-style shot doesn’t just add some delicious flavor to the drink but also gives it a beautiful-looking design. The hot espresso shot runs down the whipped cream, giving it an almost caramel sauce look.

The espresso then runs into the drink and creates a beautiful brown drizzle that runs through the drink. An affogato-style shot will make any drink perfect for any potential pictures on your social media accounts.

Which Drinks Are Best Served with an Affogato Shot?

Affogato coffee on a rustic wooden table

 Again, Starbucks specifically recommends that you order any of their frappuccinos affogato-style. These are Starbucks’ signature cold dessert-like drinks, so they’re absolutely perfect for the affogato shot.

An affogato shot on these drinks makes them highly reminiscent of the original affogato dessert since it’s a hot espresso shot on a cold sweet treat. Getting the vanilla bean frappuccino affogato-style is almost exactly like the affogato dessert.

This drink is a mixture of vanilla bean, milk, and ice, so it’s almost exactly like a drink version of vanilla ice cream, making it an excellent fit for an affogato shot. Starbucks also recommends trying the affogato shot with their mocha and caramel frappuccinos.

What is the Correct Pronunciation of Affogato?

 Affogato is pronounced like “Ah-foh-gah-toe.” Since the desert has an Italian origin, obviously, the name also has an Italian origin and comes to make perfect sense once you break the word down.

The full word for the affogato dessert is “affogato al caffe.” The word “affogato” literally translates into English as “drowned.” The “al Caffe” part means “in coffee,” so the full name of the dessert is “drowned in coffee.”

This is in reference to the ice cream or gelato, which is quite literally drowned in the espresso shot. So it really is the perfect name for the perfect dessert.

Is an Affogato Served Hot or Cold?

The affogato shot itself is always served hot, but it is also always served over a cold drink. It is this contrast that makes the affogato-style shot something unique.

If you were to order a hot drink with a hot affogato shot, the hot espresso would simply mix with the drink and become indistinguishable from if you had just ordered the drink with an extra shot of espresso.

It really is the contrast between the two that makes an affogato-style shot different from just a drink with an extra shot of espresso. It’s like the difference between ice cream with chocolate syrup and ice cream with hot fudge.

The temperature difference lets you distinguish between the flavors in your mouth, which, strangely enough, makes them combine even better.

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