The chocolate can be dark, milk, or white and can be added in various forms, including chocolate powder, syrup, and even just melted chocolate (via Super Coffee). At the time, Caffè al Bicerin served the three ingredients separately to the café's patrons, who could then mix them as per their taste, per Sprudge.Įven today, mocha is made from similar layers of espresso, milk, and chocolate. According to Sprudge, the drink was called after an Italian coffee house by the name of Caffè al Bicerin, which served its customers a beverage of coffee, cream, and chocolate.

Recommended: Try the Gibraltar at Paper or Plastik in Mid City.The modern mocha as we know it today comes from a drink called bicerin, which was popular in 18th century Italy. For the record, it's called a cortado at Endorffeine, Menotti's, and Gjusta, while it's called a gibraltar at Alfred, Paramount Coffee Project, and Winsome. All this to say, the drink is primarily called a cortado on the East Coast, and a Gibraltar on the West Coast. The name soon spread to other third-wave coffee spots. When Blue Bottle first opened up shop in San Francisco in 2005, they formulated a cortado-like drink, and named it for the glass they served it in, according to the New York Times. Cuba, too, has its version, the cordito, often made with condensed milk.' And while the glass tumbler the drink is served in has always been called a Gibraltar, Blue Bottle Coffee was actually responsible for popularizing the word as a name for the drink. According to LA Weekly's Tien Nguyen, cortado (the drink) was dubbed as such by the Spaniards because 'the milk helps 'cut' the acidity of the espresso.The French call it a noisette, presumably on account of the drink's hazelnut color.

Cortado (the word) is the past participle form of the Spanish verb cortar ('to cut'). So, why the two names? It's mostly a matter of regionality. A gibraltar is a double-shot of espresso with between one and two ounces of steamed milk, served in a glass tumbler (called a gibraltar glass, hence the name). Next, Nichols says, is the Gibraltar (which is interchangeable with the cortado).

(Photo by a.rios via the LAist Featured Photos pool on Flickr)

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