Make your espresso (either in a coffee machine or any other way) and set it aside to cool.
¼ cup espresso (very strong coffee)
In the meantime, add strawberries, sugar, vanilla (optional) & 1 cup of water to a small pan.
1 cup sliced strawberries, ¼ cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Bring to a boil and let simmer gently for 15-20 minutes. This will create homemade strawberry syrup.
Pour the mixture through a fine-mesh sieve to remove any bits. Don't press any remaining bits through the sieve - we want a completely smooth consistency.
Time to serve the drink. First, fill a glass with ice cubes (or to taste) and then add your strawberry syrup.
ice cubes
Finish it off with (cooled down) espresso and milk.
¼ cup espresso (very strong coffee), 2 cups milk of choice
If desired, you can top it off with freeze-dried strawberries, whipped cream, coffee creamer, chocolate syrup, caramel syrup, etc.