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.
UD,
Awesome presentation.
Posted by: She who | 27 February 2008 at 04:47 AM
Yummm. Need I say more?
Posted by: Lori | 27 February 2008 at 05:45 AM
Look at you getting into the Starbucks Porn biz! Makes me even want one.
Posted by: krysta | 27 February 2008 at 08:30 AM
Hahaha! I thought of you when I read this this morning. Apparently, AMERICA SURVIVED!!
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2008/02/27/MN59V9C0E.DTL
Posted by: Sara | 27 February 2008 at 08:39 AM
Ah thank you! I have all of the above ingredients except for the caramel (I have another brand, I hope it's good enough, eek!) and I'm going to go make one RIGHT NOW! Yay!
Posted by: Karen | 27 February 2008 at 03:07 PM
America survived, huh? Speak for yourself.
So, Diva, let's just say I befriend a barista and buy the dang thing on sale. How much am I out?
Mayberry Magpie
Posted by: Mayberry Magpie | 27 February 2008 at 05:47 PM
Holy CRAP! Your addiction is worse than I thought! We really need to get back to our "yoga" (aka ditch the hubby with kids and go for coffee).
Posted by: QBalls | 01 March 2008 at 11:39 PM
Fantastic! We have no Starbucks here, and I'm totally addicted, so I'll have to try this!
I can't stand the taste of milk either...or the taste of coffee, I always drink half/half with lots of sweetners. My boyfriend can't stop making fun of it!
Posted by: Tizzalicious | 02 March 2008 at 11:35 AM
I would love to know how to make a peppermint mocha at home!
Posted by: Erika | 06 March 2008 at 07:24 AM
Thanks! I was dieing for a iced macchiato and made one of my own. Unfortunately, I didn't have any vanilla or caramel, so I used sugar free hazelnut syrup and poured it into a tumbler. It doesn't taste that bad. :)
Posted by: Mike | 25 March 2008 at 02:37 PM
How can Caffeine Addiction cause an energy rise in your body.
Caffeine is currently of the most consumed substances in the world nowadays, but many people ignore caffeine effects in the body, especially when a person suffers caffeine addiction or abuses of it somehow.
In this article I would like to point out the most negative caffeine effects on your body and what caffeine energy produces on your body, as well as mentioning some special facts about caffeine addiction.
Drinking various cups of coffees in a day is not good at all, especially if we drink it in the late afternoon or night, because the caffeine will stay in our bodies for up to eight hours, which affects our sleep.
Caffeine also affects the levels of cortisol in the body, leading to more cravings for carbohydrates and fats and mass weight onto our stomachs; abdominal fat causes bigger health risks than other kinds of fat. However, if you drink coffee in the morning and exercise straight afterwards, it can help you to burn fat 30 percent more efficiently than without taking it, because it helps to keep blood sugar levels up, making us less hungry.
Caffeine energy is understood as the energy that people usually experience when they consume caffeine. Caffeine energy usually gives our energy levels a temporary increase, but after it disappears we may suffer mild depression and start feeling lethargy, making it harder to exercise. So in other words, caffeine energy causes a quick improvement in our energy levels but it is just temporary and will cause an energy decrease afterwards making it hard for us to exercise.
You can find more info at: http://yourcaffeineaddiction.com/
Posted by: Paul55 | 18 February 2009 at 08:23 AM
When did humans start drinking cows milk, or any other type of
non-human milk? Did they feed it to just infants first, or humans of
all ages? Is it possible to know why they started?
Posted by: propecia | 26 April 2010 at 10:27 AM