The weather is warm and I’ve made the switch from a double espresso to an iced double espresso. At Starbucks today when I ordered the barista asked if I was making a ghetto latte.

In the early 90′s it was very difficult to get an iced latte (at least in Ogden, Utah). I remember one time at Grounds for Coffee where it wasn’t on the menu, I gave the barista instructions: Two shots of espresso, over ice, add milk. She balked and said she wouldn’t guarantee the drink, called her manager who was offended with me and said it was one of their drinks.  How many ways can you put espresso & milk together.

Overtime, my tastes have changed and I found myself trying to order with less and less milk. A few years ago, it dawned on my that I could just order espresso & ice for half of the money. Most espresso bars have milk or half & half as a condiment. At this point I like a splash of cream in my iced espresso.

The Vegas Story

Paul dubbed this drink the cheap bastard. Apparently this name also applies to a beans & rice menu item at Baha Fresh.

We took a big road trip  in 2004. We had planned on staying in Vegas for one night but didn’t book in advance because we didn’t know our schedule. The only rooms we could find were over $200 a night. We passed on the lunch buffet for $25 each. In the end, I said that I’d like an iced espresso and a piece of chocolate and then we can leave town. My Aunt & Uncle live a couple of hours away in Saint George. We found a Starbucks but they didn’t have chocolate. Paul tried to get me some other treat but I didn’t want anything they had. I said just get me the cheap bastard. He really wanted to find something I would take instead but there was nothing that looked good. At some point I got frustrated and raised my voice a bit and said Just the Cheap Bastard pretty loud. All of the people around me looked at their plates embarrassed because they thought I was calling Paul that.