Espresso with warm cinnamon and brown sugar syrup over cold milk and ice, a deeply warming and deeply satisfying cold coffee drink for every day of the year.
Introduction
Cinnamon dolce is the flavour profile that has become associated with the warmest, most comforting cold coffee drinks. The combination of cinnamon and brown sugar produces a syrup that is simultaneously warm, slightly spiced, and sweetly complex in a way that plain simple syrup or caramel cannot replicate. Applied to a cold espresso drink it produces something that manages the seemingly contradictory achievement of being both cold and warming.
The dolce in the name is Italian for sweet, and the sweetness in this drink has a specific quality that comes from brown sugar rather than white. The molasses component of brown sugar caramelises as it dissolves into the syrup and produces a deeper, more complex sweetness with warm caramel undertones that white sugar simply does not contain. Combined with the warmth of the cinnamon the syrup creates a flavour that many people describe as tasting like baked goods in liquid form.
This drink is one of the most accessible in this collection for replication at home because its flavours are familiar and its components are universally available. The syrup can be made in five minutes and kept for two weeks, turning this into a 3-minute drink any morning that a cinnamon dolce latte is required.
History and Background
Starbucks introduced the Cinnamon Dolce Latte in 2006 as an evolution of their cinnamon spice drinks and it quickly became one of their most popular seasonal and year-round beverages. The pairing of cinnamon with coffee has much older roots, however, appearing in various forms across Middle Eastern, North African, and Central American coffee traditions where cinnamon is a traditional coffee additive.
In Ethiopia, the country of coffee’s origin, cinnamon is sometimes added directly to coffee during brewing. In Mexico, cafe de olla is traditional coffee brewed with cinnamon sticks, producing a naturally sweetened, spiced beverage that has been made for centuries. The Starbucks version placed this ancient combination in a commercial latte context that made it accessible to a global audience.
The cinnamon flavour in coffee drinks became particularly fashionable through the pumpkin spice trend of the 2000s and 2010s, with cinnamon as one of the dominant spices in that blend establishing itself as an independently popular coffee flavouring.
Cinnamon Dolce Iced Latte
5
minutes4
minutes170
kcalIngredients
2 shots espresso
150ml cold whole milk or oat milk
Lots of ice
For cinnamon dolce syrup: 100g brown sugar, 100ml water, 2 cinnamon sticks, 0.5 tsp vanilla extract
Ground cinnamon to garnish
Directions
- Combine brown sugar, water, and cinnamon sticks in a small pan.
- Simmer for 3 to 4 minutes until sugar dissolves.
- Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Steep 10 minutes.
- Remove cinnamon sticks. Cool and refrigerate.
- Pull 2 shots of espresso.
- Fill a tall glass with ice.
- Add 2 tablespoons of cinnamon dolce syrup.
- Pour cold milk over ice and syrup.
- Pour espresso over the milk.
- Dust with ground cinnamon. Serve immediately.
Tips
- Cinnamon sticks rather than ground cinnamon produce a cleaner, more elegant syrup. Ground cinnamon produces a slightly cloudy syrup with a grainier texture.
Steep the cinnamon sticks for a full 10 minutes after removing from heat. The long steep extracts the full cinnamon flavour without the harshness of prolonged boiling.
Brown sugar is essential to this specific flavour profile. White sugar produces a simpler sweetness without the warm caramel undertones.
Add vanilla to the syrup off the heat. Vanilla loses its delicate flavour compounds during cooking. Adding after removes the syrup from heat produces a more fragrant result.
Two tablespoons of syrup per drink is a starting point. This syrup is moderately sweet. Adjust based on your preference.
The ground cinnamon dusted over the top is both visual and functional, adding a burst of cinnamon aroma with every sip through the straw.
Make the syrup in large quantities. It keeps for 2 weeks refrigerated and is also excellent in hot coffees, over pancakes, and in oatmeal.
Variations
Add a pinch of cardamom to the syrup for a more complex spiced version. Replace brown sugar with coconut sugar for a slightly different, more tropical sweetness. Make a cinnamon honey latte by replacing the cinnamon dolce syrup with honey and a pinch of cinnamon. Add a splash of apple juice for an apple cinnamon latte variation. Make a cinnamon cold brew latte using cold brew concentrate instead of espresso.
Storage and Serving
Serve immediately dusted with cinnamon. The cinnamon dolce syrup keeps refrigerated for 2 weeks in a sealed jar. The assembled drink does not keep. Make the syrup at the weekend for fast weekday preparation.
FAQs
Q: Can I use ground cinnamon instead of cinnamon sticks in the syrup?
A: Ground cinnamon works but produces a cloudy syrup. Use 1 teaspoon and strain very carefully through a fine mesh lined with a coffee filter.
Q: What is the difference between cinnamon dolce and regular cinnamon syrup?
A: The dolce version uses brown sugar and vanilla alongside the cinnamon, producing a warmer, more complex sweetness than plain cinnamon sugar syrup.
Q: Can I add this syrup to other drinks?
A: Yes, cinnamon dolce syrup is excellent in hot lattes, over oatmeal, in apple juice, and as a sweetener for baked goods.
Q: How do I prevent the syrup from crystallising in the fridge?
A: Ensure the sugar is completely dissolved before removing from heat. A small amount of glucose syrup or corn syrup added to the mixture prevents crystallisation.
Q: Is oat milk better than dairy for this drink?
A: Both work well. Oat milk has a natural sweetness and creaminess that pairs nicely with the cinnamon and brown sugar. Dairy milk produces a slightly richer, creamier result.
