The macchiato recipe
for your table
Warm the cup with hot water and discard it. A cold cup draws the heat out of two and a half centiliters of coffee so quickly that lukewarm espresso is on the table within a minute.
Brew the espresso directly into the warm cup: twenty-five milliliters in twenty-five to thirty seconds, with a dense layer of crema on top. The crema is the surface for the spot, so leave it intact and don’t stir.
Froth a small amount of whole milk until it becomes fine, glossy foam without large bubbles. You only need two centiliters, so froth slightly more than that and use only the firmest top layer later.
Hold back the foam with a spoon and let one full tablespoon slide into the center of the crema. You’ll see a white spot on a brown ring, and that’s the macchiato. Serve immediately, with a small glass of cold water alongside.
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The story
Macchiato is Italian for spotted, and in an Italian bar that is exactly what it is: an espresso with a spot of milk added. You ask for a caffè macchiato and receive an ordinary espresso cup, with a white dot on the crema. Originally, the spot was mainly a signal to the barista that it contained milk, so no one would confuse it when serving. That also explains why it remains so small: it is not milky coffee with a little espresso, but espresso with a little milk. Latte macchiato reverses that ratio, and is a completely different drink with an almost identical name.
The right glass
A macchiato belongs in a cup of eight to ten centiliters, the same size as an espresso cup. Thick-walled glass or sturdy stoneware retains the heat, because two and a half centiliters of coffee cools down extremely quickly in a thin cup. Clear glass has the advantage that you can see the spot and the crema through the wall; a cup with a handle keeps your fingers away from the hot wall. Anything larger than twelve centiliters will not work, because the coffee then lies like a small puddle on the bottom and there is no longer any spot to see. Larger sizes can be found among the cappuccino glasses.
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The right tools
For a macchiato, you need little besides the cup: a long bar spoon to hold back the foam and stir the last sip, and a jigger to measure the two centiliters of milk or the splash of liqueur precisely. These are the bar tools we use ourselves; you can find everything in our bar tools & cocktail sets.
Glass set (our choice 01) + 2 bar tools together € 55,85.
What do you serve with a macchiato?
A macchiato is first and foremost coffee, so whatever accompanies it stays small: a splash in the cup or a small glass on the side. In the cup, liqueur turns it into a caffè corretto, with sambuca and amaretto as the most requested bottles. On each drink page, you can read the alcohol percentage, what it tastes like, which cocktails it works well in, and which glass you need.
Variations & twists
With more milk, you get a cortado, and with even more, a cappuccino. In Italy, ask for a caffè macchiato caldo if you want warm milk, or a freddo if you prefer a splash of cold milk from the refrigerator; the amount stays the same. A splash of sambuca or amaretto in the cup turns it into a caffè corretto, and if you prefer it sweeter, stir in half a spoonful of cane sugar before adding the foam. Looking for more inspiration? Browse more than 100 cocktail recipes.
Serving tip
Place the cup on a saucer with a small spoon and a glass of cold water beside it, as in an Italian bar. Serve immediately after pouring, because a macchiato is gone in three sips and will not wait for your guests. A square of dark chocolate works better than a biscuit, because it picks up the bitterness.
Good to know
The difference from a latte macchiato
With a macchiato, the milk goes into the coffee; with a latte macchiato, the coffee goes into the milk. The same name, reversed order, and therefore a very different drink: a macchiato is a nine-centiliter cup with a spot of foam, while a latte macchiato is a glass holding around thirty-five centiliters that is mostly milk. The recipe for the larger version is on the page about latte macchiato.
The difference from a cortado
A cortado has more milk: roughly the same amount of warm milk as espresso, with a thin layer of foam, in a glass holding around twelve centiliters. With a macchiato, it is just one spoonful of foam on the crema, so you stay much closer to the espresso itself. A cortado is therefore softer and creamier, while a macchiato is sharper.
Why the cup stays small
Two and a half centiliters of coffee with two centiliters of foam still adds up to less than five centiliters. In an eighteen-centiliter cup, it sits like a puddle on the bottom and cools down within half a minute. An eight- to ten-centiliter cup keeps the liquid together and holds the heat, and the spot is still visible in it. For how to make the espresso underneath, see the page about espresso.
Caldo or freddo
Caldo and freddo refer to the milk, not the coffee. If you ask for a caffè macchiato freddo in Italy, you get an espresso with a splash of cold milk from the refrigerator; with caldo, the milk is warm or foamed. In both cases, the coffee underneath is an ordinary hot espresso.
Which milk works best
Whole milk produces the firmest foam because fat and protein together hold a fine foam in place. Semi-skimmed milk works too, but collapses faster and then spreads over the crema. Plant-based milk works just as well: barista versions of oat and soy hold their foam the longest. Always froth a little more than you need and use the top layer.
Frequently asked questions
What exactly is a macchiato?
A macchiato is an espresso with a spot of milk foam: about two and a half centiliters of coffee with one spoonful of firm foam on top, in a cup of eight to ten centiliters. Macchiato means spotted in Italian. The coffee takes center stage; the milk merely softens the sharpest edges.
What is the difference between a macchiato and a latte macchiato?
The order is reversed. With a macchiato, a spot of milk goes into the espresso; with a latte macchiato, the espresso goes into a tall glass of warm milk. The first uses a nine-centiliter espresso cup; the second, a glass of around thirty-five centiliters consisting mostly of milk.
Which cup do you use for a macchiato?
The same cup as for an espresso: eight to ten centiliters and thick-walled, so it retains the heat. Warm it beforehand with hot water. Anything larger than twelve centiliters will not work, because the coffee then lies as a thin layer on the bottom and you can no longer see the spot.
How much milk goes into a macchiato?
About two centiliters, one heaped tablespoon of firm foam. Add more milk and it becomes a cortado; add even more and you have a cappuccino. Hold back the foam with a spoon and let only the top, firmest part slide into the cup.
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