What is the Italian coffee drink made with espresso and hot water?

The Italian coffee drink made with espresso and hot water is an Americano, also written caffè americano. It is prepared by adding hot water to one or more shots of espresso, producing a lighter drink with espresso’s flavor but a strength closer to brewed coffee.

The name americano means “American” in Italian, Spanish, and Portuguese. A popular story says American soldiers in Italy during World War II diluted espresso with hot water to imitate the coffee they knew at home. That story is widely repeated, but the documented history of the term is more complicated: the expression café americano appeared in Spanish-language usage by the mid-20th century, and the Italian form became established later.

An Americano is not the same as a lungo. In a lungo, extra water is pushed through the coffee grounds during extraction; in an Americano, water is added after the espresso is brewed. A related drink called a long black usually reverses the pouring order, placing espresso into hot water and helping preserve more crema. Milk is not a defining ingredient in an Americano.