DROWNING IN DELICIOUSNESS

The month is August. The day is Tuesday or Wednesday, but you don’t know for sure. Your department store fan blows hell waves into your apartment while your heat hallucinations make it hard to tell the time. You can hear your sweat hit the floor as you rub ice cubes all over your sticky skin. On your television screen, the tiny one that sits in the kitchen, Tony Soprano shoots someone in the foot, and you gasp because you thought they were friends. 

Then, in the background of the bloody scene, you see it. A creamy, mouth-melting dish on the counter. Is someone gonna eat that? Are they just going to forget all about it? How could Tony leave behind such a sweet looking cup? 

Those beautiful beige layers make you want to scream and dump the whole damn thing on your head. On a day like this, you wish you could hop into that TV and steal the treat away. But who is she? And why hell are we not eating one right now?

She goes by the name of affogato. The affogato is a beautiful Italian delicacy, one that is part beverage and part dessert. The word itself means “drowning” in Italian, as this recipe just calls for a lump of ice cream drowned in espresso. But it’s much more than how that sounds. Leave it to the Italians to romanticize such a simple treat—like a rootbeer float for kids with a sweet tooth, the affogato is a rite of passage for adults who like to cool down in style.

The (not so) secret here is, of course, chaga. Italians from the 90’s might scoff at this next line, but adding a spritz of Chagaccino powder in the mix is the key to the magic of this bev. Sure, some things, the classic ones, aren’t meant to be touched. But sometimes, sometimes, subtle tweaks to a recipe can go a long way. This tweak doesn’t taint the goods. It just makes ‘em better.

Below is how to make the affogato, Renude style. Go, dab those sweaty pits and forehead, find yourself a tiny spoon, settle down in a nice patch of sun, and have at it.

THE GOODS

1 scoop of vegan ice cream 

2 shots of espresso

1 Chagaccino packet

HOW TO MAKE IT

First, plop your ice cream into a nice, cold glass. We like to keep things plant-based around here, so we recommended Craig’s Killa Vanilla

In a separate cup, mix your espresso with a packet of Chagaccino. Stir.

Finally, pour your mushroom-espresso mix over the ice cream. Watch as the vanilla mountain melts into the waves of brown liquid, making for the perfect concoction.