Espresso Drinks

Appears in
Professional Cooking: 10th Edition

By Wayne Gisslen

Published 2025

  • About
Espresso and espresso drinks have grown in popularity in recent years, and specialty coffee shops have sprung up seemingly on almost every street corner.

Espresso is a concentrated coffee beverage brewed in special machines (see photo) from dark-roast, finely ground beans. For each drink, the ground coffee is packed into a small metal filter, which is then firmly attached to the machine. Water is forced through the grounds under high steam pressure, making a small cup of strong beverage topped with a layer of rich foam called the crema. A shot of espresso is about 2 fluid ounces (60 mL), and it is usually served in a tiny cup or as a double shot in a standard coffee cup.