Dylan Brogan
I have sipped the vanilla latte that was in the window and which you were probably craving for breakfast. Forgive me, it was delicious so sweet and so hot.
One of my first jobs was working at a drive-through coffee shop on East Washington Avenue. I was still in high school. I had a big crush on my manager, Jamie Flanagan, who oozed cool. A coffee professional, Jamie drank only vanilla lattes, and I have been hooked on the froofy espresso drink ever since.
A truly superb vanilla latte is hard to find. Thankfully, Madison has Johnson Public House, 908 E. Johnson St. JPH has mastered this drink. You can tell just by the weight of the cup in your hand. The milk is frothed perfectly — it’s always whole milk; they don’t even ask. The barista (Kate is the best) knows the right amount of sweetness to add (the vanilla syrup is made in-house, no Torani bottle in sight). That first sip is…mwah!
My favorite vanilla latte comes from Johnson Public House. But it should be noted that Bradbury’s Coffee, 127 N. Hamilton St., is a very close second. Those folks know what they are doing, too. Speaking as someone who is embarrassed to admit how many vanilla lattes he consumes in a week, no other coffee shop in Madison deserves the bronze.
