An espresso tonic is a daring new-ish refreshing drink that is making its way around Italian summer tables, says Danillo Turilli, a member of the Turilli family who runs Cape Town’s trendy — and incredibly authentic — Italian deli and their other cafe. There is a common saying that goes along the lines of ‘food brings people together’. In the case of the Turilli family, food brought them together, created a diverse community and expanded Cape Town’s Italian food scene in ways we never thought possible.
“I was a mixologist in London many moons ago. It’s important to use a deeply golden hazelnut-noted coffee for this drink. We use lake garda lemon scented tonic water for ours to balance out the flavour,” says Danillo Turilli.
Ingredients
- 1 espresso (30ml) of dark roast Italian Coffee
- 200ml lake garda tonic water
- A sliver of lemon or orange rind
- A handful of ice
Method
- Twist the citrus rind until the oils are released. Rub it around the rim of the
- Pour in your tonic water of choice and top with a freshly pulled espresso (or 30 ml from your moka pot).
- Serve it like that and mix it when you are ready to drink.
- Best served with a bowl of lightly salted Italian crisps.
