Einspänner
Written Einspanner without the umlaut; related to espresso con panna
An Einspänner is a Viennese coffee-house drink: espresso lengthened with hot water under a generous layer of whipped cream. Its Italian relative, espresso con panna, is a plain espresso with whipped cream on top.
Source: Viennese Coffeehouse Culture, Austrian National Tourist Office
At a glance
- In the cup
- Espresso, hot water, whipped cream
- Name
- German for a one-horse carriage
- Relatives
- Espresso con panna, Kapuziner, Franziskaner
Why is it called an Einspänner?
The word means a one-horse carriage, as the Austrian National Tourist Office’s guide to coffee-house drinks notes.
Source: Viennese Coffeehouse Culture, Austrian National Tourist Office
It is often said that the drink was made for the drivers of those carriages, with the cream keeping the coffee warm on their rounds. We did not find an early record of that, so it is best read as a story.
Einspänner or espresso con panna?
Con panna is Italian for “with cream,” and Treccani describes panna montata, usually sweetened whipped cream, as something added to hot drinks. An espresso con panna is a single espresso under that cream; an Einspänner adds hot water beneath it, so it is longer and milder.
Sources: panna, Vocabolario Treccani; Viennese Coffeehouse Culture, Austrian National Tourist Office
What other coffees does Vienna serve?
Vienna names its coffees precisely. The same guide lists the Kapuziner, an espresso with a few drops of cream; the Franziskaner, espresso with hot water, hot milk and whipped cream; and the Verlängerter, espresso with the same amount of hot water.
Source: Viennese Coffeehouse Culture, Austrian National Tourist Office
Read next
Found one you want to try? Find a café on the map.
Open the map