…this is an interesting thread and opens up further discussion to respect to not only how ‘we’ define the parameters of espresso, but also other standard (…maybe not) beverages (ie. long black vs. americano, gibraltar vs. cortado vs. piccolo vs. macchiato, etc.).
As a general rule of thumb, I would say that many decent coffee shops with solid equipment and trained staff are pulling ristretto-type espresso. For some, this is further aided by AV + ABR machines programmed to relatively low brew ratios. For me, I intentionally try to avoid the word ‘shot’ when talking about espresso; regardless of whether it’s considered a ristretto or lungo, I’m aiming for the best balance of flavour depending on the coffee I’m pulling and constantly changing the parameters if I think I can get a little more or less of any specific cup trait.
I’ve seen a number of menus in cafes and coffee shops state that ‘all shots are doubles’ as a way to try and clarify to the general coffee-buying public; maybe this is done to limit some of the “I’ll have a double {insert pretentious drink here}”, or maybe it’s a little bit of marketing in that the perception is they’re getting the best bang for their buck. To me though, this at least tells me they have a recipe and have thought about dose + yield with respect to the drinks they’re preparing. This is generally enough for me to at least order a couple of drinks and draw my own conclusions, after all, when it comes to coffee, taste > preparation.