Drift, Issue 10 – Manhattan

Coffee sits in the background of some of the most important moments in our lives: the first time we told new friends we’d like to get to know them better, a second date, a business meeting, a passion project completed, a time we caught up with long-lost loved ones after years apart. More than anything else, coffee is tied to a sense of place and a sense of community.
Drift is about coffee, the people who drink it, and the cities they inhabit. Our collection of writers and photographers, alongside coffee shop owners, baristas, streetcart vendors, and patrons, capture a glimpse of what it’s like to drink coffee in a city at the time the magazine is printed. Each issue highlights a different city.

It’s about wandering the streets aimlessly, cup of coffee in hand, and learning more about what a place has to offer, whether you’ve been there for 25 minutes or 25 years. Coffee helps us chart the geography of our cities. It’s about seeing those cities with fresh eyes, as visitors or long-time residents, and trying to understand what makes them tick.

In this issue:

Drift, Volume 10 shines a spotlight on York City’s most famous borough: Manhattan. Bartered from Native Americans, this island, sandwiched between New Jersey and Long Island, grew from a colonial trading port into a global capital of commerce and culture. Coffee, which once arrived on its piers from faraway lands, now helps run this international hub that famously never sleeps. From its many street carts, diners, and specialty coffee shops, New York offers locals and visitors coffee on-the-go, or a chance to linger a while in places with faces from all over the world. Whether it’s cappuccino at Caffe Reggio, charcoal-roasted coffee at Kopitiam, or a long black at Little Collins, there’s a story in every cup. From Harlem, all the way down to the Financial District, this issue hits the pavement and follows the threads that stitch Manhattan’s quilted coffee culture.

Drift, Manhattan includes:

• The role of women in the history of coffee in Manhattan.
• The rise and fall of the Anthora (“Greek”) cup, and a recent revival.
• The changing face of Harlem, and how coffee shops reflect the neighborhood’s uniquely Black heritage.
• Coffee shops in the age of a pandemic.
• And more…