Summer isn’t only about heat, you know.

It’s also about walking a dusk-cool beach after a steamy day, wrapped in something cozy. It’s about having that perfect summer-weight blanket keep the chill off your legs as you enjoy a backyard fire pit. And while you’re doing all of that, summer is all about having a mug of something warm to wrap your hands around.

If you have any lingering childhood memories of drinking hot chocolate outside on a chilly night, this is the minty adult version of your memory.

Mint Mocha 3of4 BES860XL

Coffee + chocolate = mocha

You’d think that coffee and chocolate would make a very different word. Choffee, maybe? Cofflate? These days mocha means something that combines coffee with chocolate flavoring, but here’s something that might help you win your next trivia night: In the 16th and 17th centuries, mocha referred to a very bitter, high-quality Arabian coffee that was shipped from Yemen’s port of … you guessed it: Mocha.

You can still get Arabian mocha, though it’s lost its shine with the passage of time. Which is probably a good thing: Ordering a mint mocha would mean something very different.

Mocha + mint = marvelous

Hot and cold mint mocha beverages are popular during workweek coffee breaks, but the best time to enjoy them is really when you have the time to enjoy them. With an espresso machine you can easily whip up a batch of these as casual after-dinner drinks that can be enjoyed inside or out.

Beaches are optional.

Ingredients

  • 2 ounces espresso
  • 1 ounce peppermint schnapps
  • 1 ounce chocolate syrup
  • 9 ounces steamed milk and foam
  • mint leaves for garnish

Instructions

  1. Mix syrup and schnapps together in the bottom of an empty, preheated cup.
  2. Stir in espresso and then add steamed milk and foam. Garnish with mint leaves.