The winter drink you need to know about—Turin’s bicerin

The Italian city of Turin is renowned for its centuries-old cafe culture and rich chocolate confectionary, so it stands to reason that it’s also the birthplace of bicerin. Meaning ‘little glass’ in the local Piedmontese dialect (‘biccherino’ in Italian), this warming, decadent drink comprising layers of thick, melted chocolate and espresso with barely whipped cream has been served at Turin’s Caffe il Bicerin since the 18th century. The drink quickly became a feature in cafes across the city, to the point where today it’s considered a symbol of not just Turin, but of the surrounding Alp-studded region, too. Its fans are legion; Ernest Hemingway, who stopped in Turin after the First World War, wrote that bicerin was one of the ‘100 things I'd save in the world’.

What are the origins of bicerin?

Turin’s numerous historic cafes all serve bicerin, but Caffe Al Bicerin, which opened its doors on Piazza della Consolata in 1763, lays claim to inventing the drink — and its recipe is a closely guarded secret. Said to have been inspired by an 18^th-century drink known as a bavareisa — a speciality of all of the grand cafes in Turin at the time — bicerin was made with hot, melted chocolate, milk, sugar syrup and coffee, and served in a large glass. Variations were soon born. In one, the ingredients (chocolate, coffee and milk) were served separately, while in others just two of the three ingredients were combined. For example, coffee and milk created a drink like today's cappuccino, known locally as pur e fiur (‘pure and flower’), or coffee and hot chocolate were combined for pur e barba (‘pure and chocolate’). But the original bavareisa ingredients, served together 'n poc 'd tut (‘a little of everything’), in layers, in a smaller glass with cream in place of the milk, quickly became Al Bicerin’s most popular drink. By 1852, in their guide to Turin, Guglielmo Stefani and Domenico Mondo wrote that ‘bicchierino’ is ‘the favourite drink of the morning: ministers, magistrates, professors, shopkeepers, farm owners, milliners, peddlers, country people, etc, all of them happily spend their three coins to economically refuel their stomachs’.

How is bicerin made?

Bicerin must be served in a glass where you can see the layers of its ingredients. And these should be coffee, real chocolate (not powder) and fresh cream. In ordinary cafes, the thick, espresso-spiked hot chocolate might be crowned with whipped cream sprayed out of a bottle. But at Caffe Al Bicerin, it’s served in a wine glass balanced on a saucer, and single cream is whisked by hand so it’s not so much whipped as it’s slightly thickened to float on top of the hot chocolate. Resist stirring a bicerin.

It's not too difficult to replicate at home. A thick hot chocolate should be made by melting dark chocolate into a freshly brewed espresso, with sugar added to taste. This then goes into a small glass while it awaits the cream. If whisking in a bowl by hand seems too strenuous, pour the cream into a jar and shake it for about 20-30 seconds, or until it’s thick and airy, but not entirely whipped. Hold a teaspoon upside down over the hot chocolate and pour the cream onto the back of the teaspoon, which should stop the cream mixing into the chocolate.

Where to try bicerin in Turin

Caffe Al Bicerin
As you take a seat on a red velvet bench, Billie Holiday playing in the background and a single flickering candle on the marble table, you’ll tune in to the sound of the whisk beating cream against the metal bowl. Bicerin is always whisked to order in its birthplace cafe. And it’s always to be enjoyed without stirring — the first gulp is cool, thick cream, suddenly followed by silky, warm, coffee-spiked chocolate.

Baratti & Milano
Confectioner Baratti & Milano has been showering Turin in gold-foiled chocolates from its opulent, mirrored cafe in Piazza Castello since 1858. The brand is known for its gianduiotti hazelnut chocolates, yet the bicerin here is also well worth the pilgrimage; it’s made with perfect layers of hot chocolate, arabica coffee and cream, and is a classic Turin experience.

Farmacia del Cambio
The modern, dark wood-clad cafe of Michelin-starred restaurant Del Cambio on Piazza Carignano, once a pharmacy, dates to 1833. Settle among walls of drawers and glass apothecary cabinets to sample bicerin served in a tall glass, which allows for a particularly generous layer of cream.

(Photo story: is this city the chocolate capital of Europe?)