Ranch Road Roasters (Fredericksburg, TX)

Fredericksburg, Texas is a small town at the eastern edge of Hill Country. It's about 80 miles west of Austin and 70 miles south of the "Heart of Texas." Like many small towns in Texas Hill Country, Fredericksburg is known for its peaches, lavender, and wine. The Convention and Visitors Bureau boasts that the town has German heritage with Texan hospitality, which highlights the main things that set Fredericksburg apart from the other small towns in Hill Country: German food and beer. As soon as you arrive at the edge of town, you're greeted with a "Willkommen" sign. As you proceed down Main Street, you come across a number of restaurants and touristy shops named "Das [insert principle product] Haus."

Along with our good friends The Brown Family, we went on a weekend getaway to Fredericksburg. We rented a cute little chalet on a property east of town along Barons Creek. On Friday night, we stopped at a brewing company for beer flights and then a German restaurant for dinner. After dinner, we soaked in the hot tub and marveled at the stars we aren't able to see in Houston. We woke up early on Saturday and made a quick stop at the Old German Bakery on our way to Enchanted Rock State Natural Area. It was perfectly cloudy and windy, a winning combination for a delightful hike (see the photos below).

After our hike, we ate the dessert pastries leftover from breakfast and headed back to town for lunch. On our way to a local burger joint, we passed a coffee shop. After lunch we stopped for coffee so that C could fuel up before chauffeuring us around the rest of the afternoon (we went to two wine tastings, one at Becker Vineyards and the other at Six Shooter Cellars [talk about two completely different atmospheres! Uff da!]).

The coffee shop was called Ranch Road Roasters. We tried two of the three "signature drinks" on the menu. First, C ordered the double espresso with a lime twist (unfortunately I don't remember the name). Obviously I noted the lime infusion, but the first thing I noticed was that that coffee was smooth and not bitter. It was the first espresso I've ever enjoyed. Upon further investigation, I discovered that RRR sources their beans from two places: Costa Rica and Antigua, Guatemala. Antigua! It's possible that we've had the same beans before just roasted at the plantation in Antigua! (I've told you about our trip to Guatemala, but I can't believe I never wrote about our trips to the coffee plantations and our favorite coffee shop! Now I'll have to tell you more about our trip!)

Next, the boys each ordered a Farm-to-Market Latte, which is made with honey, vanilla, and whole milk. Though as a group we only ordered two, we should have ordered four! As soon as C tasted his, he said "I better drink this quickly because I know it will be gone as soon as Abby tries it." Doc Brown and I both claim we don't drink coffee (she doesn't like hot drinks but will drink iced coffee and I don't like the flavor), yet we both drank a significant portion of our husband's/boyfriend's lattes. Mr. Brown described the flavor as "marshmallow." The foam at the top definitely reminded me of marshmallow, but more delicious and less sweet (in a good way).

The one special that we didn't try was the Mocha, and based on the description on RRR's Facebook page, we definitely missed out! It appears to be made with fudge from the fudge factory down the street. Fudge? In my coffee? I could get on board with that!

At breakfast on Sunday morning, I asked everyone what their favorite meal in Fredericksburg was. Without thinking twice, Doc Brown shouted out "The coffee!" All whole-heartedly agreed! Our last stop in town was at RRR for more lattes. We were a bit heartbroken when we discovered that they are closed on Sundays! We easily would have waited an hour for a noon opening, but it wasn't feasible to hang around until Monday morning. If we ever find ourselves in Fredericksburg again, you'd better believe that Ranch Road Roasters will be our first stop in town!

Pictures from Enchanted Rock State Natural Area:

Espresso Milkshake from Summermoon (Austin, TX)

One Saturday in late March, we ditched Houston and headed to Austin. It was a beautiful sunny morning with hardly a cloud in the sky; there was enough of a breeze to stay comfortable in the 80°F weather. We saw plenty of bluebonnets and wildflowers along the highways and I even convinced C to stop for pictures along highway 36. I was shocked he stopped after we'd spent a whole Saturday the prior weekend driving around looking for bluebonnets, with success!

Just like our first trip to Austin, our first stop in town was at Summermoon Coffee Bar. Last November, C had a "golden weekend," those coveted two days off in a row that only come around every few months, so we visited his best friend from high school who lives in Austin. As soon as we arrived, we stopped at a coffee shop for a "study date" so that C could knock off a few sets of practice questions for his third (and final) medical licensing exam (which he passed! Woo hoo!). While he studied, Elliot and I goofed off.

At one point, Elliot disappeared and returned with an espresso milkshake for C. I'm not a coffee drinker (nor is Elliot), but  C convinced us to try it. It was amazing. Creamy, but not from ice cream, sweet, ever-so-slightly chocolatey, with an earthy, coffee flavor. Summermoon fire-roasts their coffee in-house, so their coffee has a distinct woodiness. Every time I bring up that milkshake, C laughs at me because I claim that I don't like coffee. He also got a kick out of me finishing all of his lattes in Guatemala. Ok, I'll admit it: coffee is growing on me. Now, can I have another espresso milkshake, please? I set off to recreate it at home.

This second time we were at Summermoon, I watched the barista make the milkshake. First, he put ice cubes and a tiny bit of moon milk in the bottom of the blender. He grabbed a to-go cup and drizzled in chocolate syrup. Then, he poured hot espresso into the blender. After that, I got distracted, but I'm pretty sure he added more moon milk (and maybe more ice cubes), blended it, and poured it into the plastic cup. I started drinking it, and the rest is history. It was gone by the time we made it to the Barton Creek Green Belt for our walk.

According to Summermoon's Facebook page, an espresso milkshake is "espresso, moon milk and ghiradelli sweet ground chocolate, blended with ice." So, what is moon milk? Summermoon's top secret, homemade creamer/milk made of 7 ingredients. Coupled with the wood-fired coffee, moon milk gives their drinks a uniquely delicious flavor that their devotees can't get anywhere else. Though many of their patrons are convinced it's made of crack cocaine because it's so addictive, I have the impression that moon milk is made of cream, sweetened condensed milk, other milks and vanilla.

Materials
ice cubes
sweetened milk?
espresso
chocolate syrup

Methods
1. In a blender, combine the ice cubes and milk. Pour in the hot espresso. Blend.
2. Drizzle chocolate syrup into a cup and pour in the milkshake.

Ok, that's not a helpful recipe. I don't even know what one of the ingredients is. So, I tried another route. I stopped at Whole Foods and picked up a jug of double espresso iced coffee with almond milk. I tried blending it with both ice and ice cream but neither gave me the desired result. To be fair, I wasn't digging the flavor of the coffee (I like almond milk, but apparently not with coffee). When I told my mom about the experience she asked, "Why do you always try to recreate things? Why not make it a treat for yourself whenever you're in Austin?" Though I don't want to, I will listen to her. Next time you find yourself in Austin, Texas, head over to Summermoon and try their milkshake!

Interested in making an espresso milkshake on your own? Here's the closest recipe I could find based on the ingredients I saw added (though it uses espresso powder instead of espersso). Give it a shot (pun intended) and report back!