- Origin: Italian
- Availability: Common
An Americano is built by pulling one or two espresso shots and topping with hot water — the order of pour (water-first vs espresso-first) is a small house preference that affects how much crema survives. It drinks roughly the strength of brewed coffee but carries the espresso's thicker body. Most Brooklyn shops will pull it at the espresso bar rather than from a batch brewer, so it stays fresh shot to shot.
Etymology
Named for American GIs in WWII Italy, who were said to dilute espresso with hot water to mimic the drip coffee they were used to back home.