Chill out with cool espresso drinks

As summer's mercury soars, we seek out icy drinks to slake our thirst. Your home espresso machine can be a key ingredient in creating flavorful summer coolers and cocktails-so don't leave it languishing on the counter. Giorgio Milos, an instructor at illycaffe`'s University of Coffee in Trieste, Italy teaches baristas from all over the world how to prepare the perfect espresso and cappuccino as well as a host of iced specialty drinks and cocktails. Giorgio recommends, "Make your espresso fresh for iced drinks, as coffee oxidizes after several hours. You won't have the same bright flavor using old coffee." Milos also recommends chilling the glasses in advance and using prepared sugar syrup rather than granulated sugar as it dissolves quicker in cold liquids. If you can't purchase sugar syrup (also called simple syrup) in your local supermarket or gourmet shop, you can make your own easily by boiling equal parts sugar and water. The refrigerated syrup will stay indefinitely and can be used in a plethora of cold drinks, cocktails and fruit salad.

Caffe` Shakerato is an Italian summertime favorite, served in bars and cafes from Naples to Trieste. It's also the perfect pick me up to beat summer's heat. A Shakerato is easy to make-it is simply one perfect illy espresso shaken very vigorously with ice cubes (at least 30 seconds) and strained into a martini glass or champagne flute. If properly shaken it will appear to have a crema on top-just like a hot espresso. You can embellish it with sugar syrup, liqueurs, chocolate or caramel syrup, but the classic Shakerato is still numero uno in Italy and such stylish simplicity only succeeds when the coffee is the world's best—illy.