Frappé
Greek Iced Instant Coffee
The frappé is instant coffee, cold water and sugar, whisked or shaken until it forms a foam that sits on top of the glass for as long as you do. It is drunk slowly, often for an hour. It is a Greek invention and not a clever one, only a lucky accident that stuck.
The drink was invented at the Thessaloniki International Trade Fair in 1957 by a Nestlé representative, Dimitris Vakondios, who could not find hot water for his instant coffee and shook it with cold water instead.
It is ordered skétos (no sugar), métrios (medium) or glykós (sweet), with about 2 teaspoons of sugar for medium and 4 for sweet in the recipe read.
Ingredients
Ingredients
- 2 tsp instant coffee granules
- 0, 2 or 4 tsp caster sugar (skétos, métrios or glykós)
- 3 tbsp cold water
- 6 to 8 ice cubes
- About 150 ml cold water, to top up
- Evaporated milk (optional)
Method
- Foam Put the coffee, sugar and the 3 tbsp of cold water in a shaker or lidded jar and shake hard for 30 seconds, or whisk with a frother, until thick and pale with foam.
- Pour Put the ice in a tall glass and pour in the foam. Top up with the cold water, and a little evaporated milk if you like, stirring gently. Serve with a straw.
The foam is the drink. Shake properly, and use instant coffee, not ground.