Samantha Brown Swears by This Genius Gas Station Affogato Hack

The summer season is in full swing, which means we’re in the midst of the great American road trip season. In fact, according to data by The Vacationer, more than 75% of American adults — about 196 million in total — intend to take a road trip between June and August. If you happen to be one of them, we have good news: You don’t have to track down a great coffee shop on the route for a delicious coffee drink. And you can channel an Italian vacation from wherever you are. Just ask travel expert and two-time Emmy Award-winning TV host, Samantha Brown.

On Sunday, Brown took to her Instagram account to share one of her all-time favorite road trip hacks for making an affogato on the go.

“It’s July and you know what that means? It’s gas station affogato season,” she begins. “You’re seeing everyone in Italy, Positano, the Amalfi Coast… but you’re at a Gulf station off the Mass Pike.” 

That’s OK, according to Brown, you can still make it “fancy.” All you need is a black cup of coffee from the gas station and an ice cream sandwich. Then, simply dunk that sandwich to enjoy a nice cold and caffeinated treat. As Brown says, it’s “delicious!” 

This wasn’t the first time the travel pro has tried this trick, either.

“I was on a summer road trip with my then 3-year-old twins,” she shares with Food & Wine. “I was hot and exhausted at a rest stop after navigating the long bathroom lines, with small children who were crying over the loudness of hand dryers and flushing toilets.  To recuperate, I needed a cup of coffee, and I wanted ice cream.”

According to Brown, she usually takes her coffee with a little cream, but there wasn’t any at this roadside shop. “So, I came up with the idea of getting an ice cream sandwich and dunking it in my coffee.” Like so many culinary traditions born out of necessity.

As for her preferred ice cream choice, Brown says she really does love the classic ice cream sandwich. “The combination of plain vanilla ice cream and the soft chocolate wafer absorbs the coffee beautifully,” she says. Though, “a Klondike bar with its hard shell would also make some stiff competition.”

It’s a hack you can use on any road trip, anywhere.

“Really any gas station with coffee and a small ice cream selection will do. Ice cream sandwiches are a national treat, not regional,” Brown shares. “That’s the true benefit of the gas station affogato — it can be replicated across America. I’ve had them from Oklahoma to Illinois. But I grew up in New Hampshire, so my drive from NYC to New Hampshire on the Mass Pike dominates.”

And it’s a tradition, she adds, that you can treat your road trip partners to.

“I only ever eat half the ice cream sandwich, and now my 12-year-old daughter has the other half and dunks it in the coffee and loves it,” Brown says. “Second generation, the snack is official.”