Iced Vanilla Latte

The iced latte arrived in American coffeehouses sometime in the 1990s and never left. What began as a European espresso tradition adapted for our love of cold drinks has become as essential as the morning newspaper once was. The vanilla version adds warmth without heat, a quiet sweetness that rounds the coffee's edges.

This is not a complicated drink. Two shots of espresso, cold milk, a whisper of vanilla, ice. The technique matters more than the ingredient list. Your espresso must be strong enough to stand up to dilution. Your ice must be fresh, not freezer-burned. Your vanilla must be real extract, not imitation chemical approximation.

I have watched baristas overcomplicate this drink for decades. Flavored syrups with ingredient lists longer than novels. Milk foamed and frothed when the whole point is refreshing simplicity. The version I'm sharing requires nothing more than what a well-stocked kitchen already contains. Make it once and you'll wonder why you ever stood in line for it.