Starbucks Cinnamon Dolce Recipe

Apparently, the Cinnamon Dolce is currently one of the hottest drinks at Starbucks. Of course, by “hot”, I mean popular. One possible reason is that the cinnamon dolce syrup comes in a sugar-free option which I understand is very popular because we all want to lose the extra pounds we put on throwing back those mild-based coffee drinks. (Lactose, in case you haven’t yet realized, is a form of sugar. Lactose, fructose, sucrose. Get the hint?)

How about the recipe for the Cinnamon Dolce? Well, of course it’s espresso-coffee based, but it’s the syrup that makes the dink. For a small, a.k.a. 12oz Starbucks “tall” drink, it’s a double-shot of espresso, 3 pumps of said cinnamon dolce syrup, and steamed milk, topped off with foam. Sprinkled on top is a mix of sugar crystals and ground cinnamon. I presume if you ask for the “sugar-free’ syrup, you’ll ask to have them hold the sugar topping, but who knows?! It is Starbucks after all, and as I said already, lactose is a sugar, so “hang the expense, and lay it on!”

The idea of sprinkling cinnamon on top of coffee drinks isn’t anything new, by the way. In New Zealand where I hail from, a cappuccino is traditionally served with either cinnamon or chocolate sprinkled on top. Not quite sure where that came from, but I’m suspicious that it might have been introduced by the Dutch who, in a wave of immigration into New Zealand after the Second World War, opened the first “coffee bars” to make a living in their new homeland and laid the groundwork for today’s deeply entrenched coffee culture.

Anyone know if the Dutch sprinkle chocolate or cinnamon on any of their coffee drinks? I’d be interested to know.