Christmas Post #2: The Flavored Cappuccino

My coffee bar features a total of ten flavors that can be added to any coffee.  The most popular is Hazelnut.  I also have favorites like Irish Cream, Caramel, and Toasted Walnut.  If it's a good flavor complement to coffee, I have it.  They are mostly Torani syrups, but there are some Starbucks flavor syrups in there as well.  I don't normally add these flavors to my coffee so they sit on the counter unused.  They came in handy while family was visiting this Christmas because where a good quality gourmet coffee is best enjoyed on its own, the flavor syrups can really dress up a cappuccino.I don't normally make cappuccinos, I will admit they are a lot of work.  When a person earns the title of coffee barista, this isn't somebody that operates a drip brewer.  The true barista is a wizard with the espresso machine that makes lattes and cappuccinos, and I was scrambling to remember how it's done right.  My machine is actually a Mr. Coffee espresso maker.  This is a private-labelled machine and I'd love to know who made it for Mr. Coffee because it's a great machine.  Even though I loved using it years ago, something still felt wrong about using a Mr. Coffee machine to make a classy drink like an espresso or cappuccino.  So, I bought a Delonghi machine from Italy and if you've ever heard horror stories about their support and customer service, you heard right.  That machine sits in a box in my basement and I'm back on the Mr. Coffee.I made a menu for my family because of all the different options.  I listed the ten flavors they could enjoy, as well as sprinkled cocoa, cinnamon, and even a cinnamon stick for stirring - cinnamon sticks do double duty at Christmas time with hot apple cider and whiskey, email me for the recipe.  Hats off to my brother, who like me, took his cappuccino straight up without flavors.  I could have even drank it like an espresso shot but thought I would enjoy my first cappuccino in a long time.Only one embarrasing thing happened.  From disuse, the machine's milk frother wasn't working.  I assume there's something clogging it and it forced the steam out through breaks in the "airtight" lid since it couldn't get through the frother.  To keep my machine from blowing up from the pressure, I served these cappuccinos with whipped cream.  It was either that or a very milky espresso mix.