At this point, you’ve almost definitely heard of the Starbucks secret menu, which includes fancy, elaborate drinks that aren’t on the actual menu, but are still available for purchase if you ask nicely (and know the ingredients). But did you know that other chains have their own secret menu items as well? Many of these are just menu items customized to be slightly different or two different items combined, but they’re still worth talking about. And right now, everyone is into this one McDonald’s hack that you need to know about, especially if you love ice cream and coffee.
The hack is quite simple, yet genius — the best kind, obviously. It’s a mix of McDonald’s ice cream and coffee to make a play on the affogato. An authentic affogato is an Italian dessert that is made when you pour hot espresso over a scoop of gelato. It is, of course, delicious. The McDonald’s version? Well, first of all, it’s called a McAffogato (because of course it is). Instead of gelato, it’s just ice cream, and instead of espresso, you use coffee. Still good, though!
The McAffogato actually has a cute backstory. According to the Birmingham Mail, it’s the favorite secret menu item for cops in Birmingham in the U.K., namely those who are looking for something sweet and caffeinated. The cops combine a McCafé espresso with a vanilla milkshake for a bootlegged version of the dessert, and they love it.
Observe the hack in action:
Soooo satisfying:
If you want to try it out for yourself, you’re certainly not alone… but there is one unfortunate thing to point out. McDonald’s locations in the U.S. don’t sell straight-up espresso like some other locations around the world, so instead, you have to use an Americano, which is a diluted version of espresso.
A writer on Extra Crispy tried it out, and folks, it was apparently just as delicious as it sounds. They wrote, “When I combined the two ingredients, something magical happened. The Americano’s collision with the vanilla shake suddenly drew out its dormant flavor, making for a taste that’s—shocker— pretty similar to coffee ice cream.”
While this is really basically just a coffee milkshake, and you could probably make something better and more authentic in, like, you’re own kitchen… it’s still a hack you’ll want to know. Mixing coffee and ice cream is never a bad idea!
