Caffè Corretto
/kafˈfɛ korˈrɛt.to/noun
An Italian espresso served with a small amount of liquor, traditionally grappa, sambuca, or brandy.
Did you know?The drink’s “correction” is not mystical but culinary: liquor was added to coffee to alter or improve its character, especially through Italy’s longstanding espresso-and-digestif traditions.
Etymological Timeline
Proto-Semitic / Early Arabic
Arabic
qahwa
“A beverage associated with wine or other stimulating drinks; later, coffee”
15th–16th Century
Arabic
qahwa
“Coffee, as coffee drinking spread through the Arab world”
16th Century
Ottoman Turkish
kahve
“Coffee”
16th–17th Century
Italian
caffè
“Coffee, borrowed through European forms ultimately related to Arabic qahwa”
Classical Latin
Latin
corrigere
“To make straight, set right, or correct”
Modern Italian
Italian
corretto
“Corrected; the masculine singular past participle of correggere”
20th Century
Italian / English
caffè corretto
“Espresso “corrected” with a small measure of liquor”