Café Americano

It is believed that American military personnel who came ashore in Sicily from North Africa in July 1943 discovered Italian coffee for themselves and were enthusiastic about the smell and flavour. Anyone who has ever had coffee in a diner in rural America today will be able to understand this. The GIs liked the espresso, but it was too strong for them.

So they stretched the espresso in larger cups with hot water. As they were good and paying customers, smart Italian café owners took this for granted and added the coffee to their repertoire for the Americans. Today, Café Americano can be found wherever espresso is served. Just like here, 17 years later in 1960:

And this is how it is prepared:

First, an espresso or espresso doppio is prepared, then the cup is filled with hot water in the desired ratio.

The army had nothing more to do in Italy, but the Americans loved travelling the country in droves. Perhaps a café Americano was still not the right thing for Clark Gable, or perhaps it was simply too warm outside. Perhaps he preferred a beer with his enchanting companion.