Bourbon French Vanilla Latte
Bourbon, vanilla, and espresso play well together. There is something about the sweet, smoky aspect of the charred oak spirit that heightens the complexity of a French vanilla latte. Additionally, the temperature at which a latte is served has a way of drawing out some of the best aspects of bourbon including its vanilla and caramel notes along with its woody back. Once you take a sip, your taste buds are graced with the opening vanilla and caramel notes of the bourbon and the sweetness of the vanilla syrup, followed by the bitter decadence of the espresso. Everything just goes down smooth! And if that isn’t tempting enough, this spiked latte features French vanilla simple syrup made with brown sugar to further highlight the naturally occurring caramel notes of bourbon resulting in a deeper flavor profile.
Ingredients
Vanilla Syrup
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 vanilla bean, split, seeds scraped
Latte
- 2 shots espresso
- 1 shot bourbon
- 2 tbsp vanilla syrup
- 1 cup whole milk
Instructions
Syrup
- Heat the water in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Do not boil.
- Stir as you add the brown sugar to the water. Let cook for 3-4 minutes or until all the sugar dissolves.
- Add the vanilla bean and scraped seeds.
- Leave to cool before removing the vanilla bean.
- Transfer to a small bowl or jar.
Latte
- Pour the espresso, bourbon, and vanilla syrup into a latte cup.
- Steam the milk.
- Pour 2/3 of the milk into the cup while using a spoon to retain any froth.
- Top with the remaining milk and spoon the froth on top of the latte.
