The more I thought about it, (and I thought about it - for three hours last night, precisely) I think it's my duty as your fellow citizen (and internet BFF, we've established) to teach you how to make a proper iced carmel macchiato in case of an emergency, as it was last night when Starbucks closed its doors for three whole hours for some training.
Whatever.
Next time, with this knowledge I am presenting to you, things will be better. Smoother. Calmer. And tastier.
Obviously, this requires an espresso machine which I realize is not a common household appliance. But if you're in the market for one, I highly suggest the Via Venezia from Starbucks which, from time-to-time, goes on sale.
(I also recommend becoming BFFs with your local Starbucks barista so that he/she can get you a great deal, via an employee discount, on one of these bad boys. It damn near makes it affordable.)
Aside from the espresso machine, you will need all of the above. Plus some fat free milk and ice. My local Starbucks kindly gave me an extra cup, lid and straw so I could make this authentic for you. Now if only I could buy them... You know I would. I'm not ashamed.
You can, however, buy any and all of the syrups they use. And they are surprisingly inexpensive. For a carmel macchiato, you'll need the Vanilla syrup. Be sure to ask about their sugar-free syrups as well.
Of course, Starbucks sells espresso beans for your espresso machine and the BOLD here is my favorite. (Like I would go anyway but BOLD.) Ask them to grind it for you (for free) at the store if you're too damn lazy to do it yourself. Lazy.
The first thing to go in your cup are the 3-5 pumps of Vanilla syrup. I say 3-5 because it totally depends on your taste. I like my iced carmel macchiatos stronger, so I put less vanilla and milk and more ice and espresso.
Next, add the milk. In a GRANDE cup, I add fat free milk to just-below the first green line. Again, if you do not like it as strong, then add more milk. But just a little.
Add your ice. I like a ton of ice because I actually cannot stand the taste of milk and so whatever milk I do consume (via an iced carmel macchiato, of course) must be extremely cold.
If you've got an espresso machine, you already know how to use it and since each one is different, I'm going to skip the step-by-step and get right to the good stuff... the heart of the matter, the shots themselves. My machine does two at a time and thank god, because we're making a GRANDE size which requires two shots.
Add your two shots on top of the ice.
[God, doesn't that almost seem sexually explicit in nature? It's... it's... spectacular.]
Lastly, you're going to add the carmel. Sometimes, around the holidays usually, Starbucks sells their carmel in small sizes. STOCK UP. Because the rest of the year, you're stuck using whatever you can find, even if it means Smuckers sundae toppings... I re-used this handy-dandy ketchup? mayo? dispenser from a Subway sandwich order we made a while back and it's just like the real thing. But different.
Put on your lid, add your straw and WA-LAA!!! A GRANDE iced carmel macchiato IN YOUR OWN HOME. Another trick that I soooo love: Freeze your iced carmel macchiato for about 30 - 45 minutes for a slushier, ice cold, refreshing drink. It's like a dessert. With caffeine.
This, I think I can safely say, has been a Public Service Announcement. Because apparently, Starbucks has to close at some point. (I know, I don't understand it either.) And I don't want us all to be stuck in that What Do I Do? What Do I Do? hell again. So write this down, print it out and have it tattooed on your forehead (backwards of course) so that you never, ever lose it.
Or, I guess, you could always refer back here to my blog. Whatever.
