Written by Jordan Michelman.
At the iconic, eponymous Tim Wendelboe cafe in Oslo, Norway, there are certain
unchanging traditions dating back to opening day. 2007 was a lifetime ago—perhaps
several—in terms of growth and change in the coffee industry, but Wendelboe’s cafe and
roasting company have remained as a constant source of inspiration and influence. And that
includes leaving an indelible mark on the shakerato, the beloved Italian drink in which fresh
espresso, ice, and a splash of something sweet are shaken together vigorously, with marvelous
results.
At the TW cafe, the shakerato has been given an iconic treatment in the form of the Anisetta. “We started serving Anisetta from day one,” Wendelboe tells me, dating all the way back to the summer of 2007. Wendelboe’s version of the drink uses an infused star anise syrup—licorice is an incredibly popular flavor in Norway—along with a splash of milk, and it comes from a recipe that actually pre-dates the shop itself “I developed the drink during the year I was freelancing before I opened my own store,” Tim Wendelboe says. “I actually used to make it without milk and only some Cuban rum and sugar, shaken with espresso and ice. It was always a hit during summer parties, late at night—a great energy drink for the long, bright
summer nights we have here in Norway.”
When the cafe opened, a non-alcoholic version of the drink was honed, combining shakerato traditions with the anything-is-possible freedom of the early third-wave coffee movement. Though the Anisetta is a mainstay, other versions have appeared on the menu over the years, including a deconstructed shakerato that included foam stabilizers and lightly roasted Kenyan coffee.
“It never became a hit,” Wendelboe remembers, “as there was simply too much coffee to handle in one drink.” Today, the Anisetta is a lynchpin of the menu, and second only to the TW cafe’s iconic Cappuccino al Freddo for drinks sold each summer.
I asked Tim Wendelboe what his favorite shakerato memory was—perhaps he’d been served something influential along the way to developing the Anisetta? “It would have to be the first one I was ever served,” he says, courtesy of his mentor Willy Hansen, of Solberg & Hansen.
“It was made with pretty dark roasted coffee (we are talking past 2nd crack),” Wendelboe recalls, “from a blend consisting of past crop Brazilian coffee, Monsooned Malabar, and Robusta.” (Truly, we are walking together now through the palace of coffee memory.) “There was a lot of sugar in it,” he continues, “but I remember how well it foamed up and how delicious it was back then, and I immediately put it on our
menu in the coffee shop the next day.
These days, the shakerato—or Anisetta—from Tim Wendelboe is an altogether lighter affair, built around light-roasted flavors offered by washed Ethiopian and Kenyan coffees, pulled as espresso shots on the shop’s trusted La Marzocco FB80, and improved with a kiss of star anise syrup. But it remains a shakerato at heart, updated for the 21st century and seen through the unique lens of Tim Wendelboe
Visit Tim Wendelboe at their website and on Instagram.
