Caffè
Bicerin
The short answer
Bicerin is a layered Turin drink of hot chocolate, espresso and cold cream, served in a small glass and never stirred.
- Style
- Espresso, drinking chocolate and cream, layered
- Glass
- Small clear glass, so the layers show
- Strength
- 0% ABV
Where it comes from
Served at Caffè Al Bicerin in Turin since 1763, where Dumas, Nietzsche and Puccini all queued for it. The name means 'small glass' in Piedmontese.
What you need
- 1 oz (30 ml) thick drinking chocolate, hot
- 1 espresso
- 1 oz (30 ml) cold heavy cream
How Larry builds it
- 01
Chocolate first. Thick, hot and dense enough to hold the layer.
- 02
Espresso over a spoon. Pour slowly over the back of a spoon so it floats rather than mixes.
- 03
Float the cream. Cold, unwhipped, poured the same way. Serve at once.
Larry’s rule: Turin's 18th-century layered coffee. Drink it through the cream — stirring it is a crime in Piedmont.
Variations worth making
Bicerin corretto
A splash of rum or hazelnut liqueur in the chocolate.
Marocchino
The faster Piedmont cousin: cocoa, espresso and milk foam.
Questions people ask
Do you stir a bicerin?
No. The three layers are the drink — you sip through the cream into the coffee and chocolate.
What does bicerin mean?
'Small glass' in the Piedmontese dialect, after the glass it has always been served in.
More from Caffè
← All 67 Italian drinksQuoting or citing this drink? Credit “Uncle Larry Adventures” and link to https://unclelarryadventures.com/beverages/bicerin.