Iced Salted Vanilla Latte

Ingredients

Place the sugar in a heatproof bowl or container.
Add the hot water.
Stir for about 15 seconds. The sugar does not need to dissolve completely yet.
Add the vanilla bean paste and stir until evenly incorporated.
Add the kosher salt and stir again.
Let cool to room temperature. The remaining sugar should dissolve as the syrup sits.
Transfer to a sealed container and refrigerate.

The syrup will keep for about one month refrigerated.

Two vanilla beans, split and scraped, may be substituted for the vanilla bean paste.

Add 1/2 oz (15 mL) salted vanilla syrup to a small pitcher, cocktail shaker, or mixing glass.
Add the double shot of espresso.
Add 5 oz (150 mL) lactose-free whole milk.
Froth the entire mixture with a handheld milk frother for about 15 seconds, keeping the frother near the surface to incorporate air. The mixture should expand and become creamy and aerated.
Fill a serving glass with ice.
Pour the aerated latte over the ice and serve immediately.

A medium-roast, chocolate-forward espresso works especially well.
The 2:1 sugar-to-water syrup is thicker than standard simple syrup and adds body to the finished drink.
The small amount of salt enhances the vanilla and sweetness while reducing the perception of coffee bitterness.
Lactose-free whole milk tastes slightly sweeter than regular whole milk because the added lactase enzyme breaks lactose into simpler sugars.
Frothing the completed latte before pouring it over ice improves both texture and emulsification.
Instead of using a milk frother, the syrup, espresso, and milk can be shaken vigorously with ice in a cocktail shaker, then strained over fresh ice.