Cortadito is a Cuban espresso drink that gives you high levels of caffeine in a sweet shot of creamed espresso. This article will show you how you can make your own cortadito drink in a few simple steps.

To make this drink, you will need the following:
-percolator (stove top espresso maker)
-coffee beans
-coffee grinder
-sugar
-small bowl and spoon
-water
-coffee cream

1. Fill the espresso maker with water to the fill line for whatever size espresso maker you are using for this drink. Place the filter on top of the water-filled base.

2. Grind fresh coffee beans of your choice. Darker roast coffee usually has less acidity than lighter roast coffee and also has a taste more similar to espresso. However, if you want a lighter roast coffee for the sake of flavor, then a light roast coffee will work as well. You can also choose flavored coffee beans if you like, but for a more authentic taste, it would be best to use regular coffee flavors. You will want to grind the coffee beans finer than coarse so that your coffee flavor will be stronger and give more of an espresso taste. By grinding the coffee fresh, the flavor will be stronger and retain the coffee flavor. You will need to grind enough coffee to fill the filter of the espresso maker. Pack the ground coffee into the filter so that you will have a stronger espresso.

3. Screw the top of the espresso maker onto the base and filter to secure the espresso maker and prepare to brew.

4. Leave the top of the espresso maker opened so that you can see the spout of the espresso maker and place on the stove.

5. Turn the stove on high to heat up the water in the base and begin the brewing process.

6. While the water heats up, quickly put 1/4 -1/2 cups of sugar in the bowl with the spoon easily accessible (you can add more or less sugar depending on how sweet you like your cortadito).

7. Carefully watch the spout of the espresso maker to wait for the first drops to be brewed. It is cruel to catch the first couple drops of espresso. Once the first drops are brewed, immediately remove the espresso maker from the heat.

8. Use the first couple of drops of espresso and pour into the bowl of sugar. You want enough drops to get 2/3 of the sugar wet, using less than you would think. Take your time with this step and after adding a few drops, stir vigorously to ensure desired wetness. By removing the espresso maker from the heat, you give the grounds more time to "bloom" and give a better overall flavor. By using the first couple drops, the sugar will be caramelized to a strong flavor as well.

9. After including the sugar has enough espresso to stir to a paste, place the espresso maker back on the high heat and let the espresso finish brewing completely. Turn off the stove as soon as all the espresso has been brewed.

10. While the espresso finishes brewing, continue to stir the sugar mixture quickly. It is better to over stir this mixture than to not stir enough. The finished mixture should have a gloss and be a very light shade of brown.

11. When the espresso is finished and the sugar has been completely caramelized, pour the espresso on top of the sugar mixture.

12. Gently stir the mixture to ensure no sugar is stuck to the bottom of the bowl. You should notice a cap being formed on the top of the mixture that shows the proper mixture of the sugar and espresso

13. Add the desired amount of cream to the cups and pour the espresso and sugar mixture on top (do not stir). Serve immediately and enjoy!