Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso

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Brown sugar shaken espresso over ice with creamy oat milk

Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso

A café-favorite you can shake up at home: two shots of espresso shaken with brown sugar and cinnamon, poured over ice, and topped with oat milk.

← Coffee & Tea Home Print serves 1 5 min

Ingredients

  • 2 shots hot espresso (or ½ cup strong brewed coffee, hot)
  • 1 Tbsp brown sugar (or 1–1½ Tbsp brown sugar syrup; see below)
  • 1 pinch ground cinnamon
  • Ice
  • ½ cup oat milk (or dairy/almond milk)

Why hot espresso? The warmth helps dissolve the sugar before shaking.

Directions

  1. Add espresso, brown sugar, and cinnamon to a shaker jar with a handful of ice.
  2. Seal and shake hard for 15–20 seconds until frothy and well-chilled.
  3. Fill a tall glass with fresh ice. Strain in the shaken espresso.
  4. Top with oat milk. Stir to combine, or leave layered. Dust with a whisper of cinnamon if you like.

No shaker? Use a mason jar with a tight lid.

Quick Brown Sugar Syrup (2 minutes)

  1. Combine 2 Tbsp brown sugar + 2 Tbsp hot water; stir until dissolved.
  2. Flavor with a tiny pinch of cinnamon and a drop of vanilla if desired. Use 1–1½ Tbsp per drink. Keeps 1 week refrigerated.

Tips & Variations

  • Less sweet: Use 2 tsp sugar/syrup.
  • Dairy-free: Oat milk foams beautifully when shaken; almond milk is lighter.
  • Extra-cold: Chill the glass and milk for 10 minutes.
  • Decaf-friendly: Works with decaf espresso or strong decaf coffee.
  • Spice swap: Try pumpkin spice or a pinch of cardamom instead of cinnamon.

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