Starbucks Recipe: Caramel Macchiato

My favorite drink at Starbucks is the caramel macchiato. yummy. They even make a non-fat, sugar-free version so I'm in heaven. If you folks want to make it home, here's the recipe (from an ex-Starbucks employee):

Caramel Macchiato
The average coffee mug is probably equivalent to a Tall (12-oz/355 mL). I am not following precise Starbucks standards, though if you must know it's properly one shot of espresso, about .75 oz syrup (.25 oz per 4 oz liquid capacity).


milk
espresso
vanilla syrup
your favorite caramel sauce
In a regular-sized coffee mug, add vanilla syrup and steamed milk. Top with milk foam and add freshly brewed espresso through the foam. Drizzle with caramel sauce.


Iced Caramel Macchiato
Same ingredients, plus some small ice cubes and (optional) whipped cream

In a pint glass or iced tea glass (we're assuming 16 oz), add vanilla syrup and fill about 3/5 of the way with cold milk. Add ice almost to the top and pour espresso (2 shots would be typical) over the top. If you've done it right, the espresso will mix in only about halfway down without stirring. If adding whipped cream, add it here. Drizzle the top with caramel and enjoy.

Reunited

I tried to stay away, I really did. Starbucks is like the boyfriend that you just know you should leave but he's soooo good in bed that you decide to look the other way when he forgets your birthday again....ah memories.

I decided to go back and give them one more try since I was absolutely dragging the other morning. The A-team was back! They did everything right. I was in and out with 7 drinks in about 10 minutes. Well, I am officially sucked back in. Don't worry, it won't last. What can I say? I'm retarculous.

Noooooo! You're the Good Starbucks!

As you know, I've had more than my share of retarculous run-ins with some less-than-nice employees at Starbucks. I thought that was the whole point of shutting them all down for storewide training. Well, I think the brainwashing is starting to wear off. The good Starbucks I found near my job is slowly morphing into the bad one. Nooooooo!

They are starting to turn over their employees pretty regularly. They're not making the drinks correctly and aren't so nice when you point it out--even if you do it as nicely as possible. Was it all a mirage? I'm so sad. What can you do? How much is enough retarculousness before you call it quits? It's like a messy breakup, but in this case it's definitely them, not me. Like all drug-out breakups, we will NOT be friends afterward.