What is a Frappé?

This refreshing drink is generally made of water, espresso, sugar, milk, ice and is shaken, blended, or beaten to combine the ingredients. When temperatures soar, we normally see a rise in sales for this super popular beverage – Find out more about the beloved frappé and learn how Nestlé® played an instrumental role in its creation.

 

As the summer sizzles, the streets come alive with people clutching their icy coffee delights, which could possibly be the iconic frappé.

This delicious drink is typically made by blending coffee, ice, milk, and sweeteners. The coffee can be instant, brewed, or espresso, and the milk can be any type, including alternatives like almond, soy, or oat milk. Sweeteners such as sugar or syrups are often added to taste, and optional flavourings like vanilla, chocolate, or caramel can enhance the drink. The ingredients are blended until smooth and frothy, creating a creamy and invigorating treat perfect for a hot day.

Served tall and proud, adorned with whipped cream and delightful toppings, a frappé is a visual and flavourful treat. It is traditionally made with coffee, but it doesn’t have to be! Some are made with tea, juice, and even hot chocolate.

 

The ‘café frappé’ made its debut in the mid-19th century, showcasing a range of textures from slushy-like to Iced Coffee variations. However, the frappé really kicked off in 1957 at the Thessaloniki International Fair in Greece. The story goes that a Nestlé® representative was demonstrating an instant chocolate drink for children with a chocolate base that was added to milk then shaken in a shaker. With no hot water in sight, they ingeniously mixed instant coffee with cold water and ice cubes, resulting to the modern frappé you now know. This version of the frappé is still incredibly popular in Greece today and you can find it in most coffee shops across the country.

 

Frappés vary widely depending on where you are in the world, adding a delightful element of surprise to every sip. In Greece, if you ask for a frappé expect a couple of tablespoons of instant coffee, sugar, water, and optional milk, which is then shaken for that signature frothy layer.

If you’re in Bulgaria, don’t be surprised if it’s served with a soda instead of water. Denmark on the other hand, substitutes the water for milk whereas Serbia serves the frappé with milk or ice cream and freshly whipped cream on top. However, Boston takes a unique twist, where it’s actually a milkshake made with ice-cream and is simply pronounced like ‘frap’.

As a frappé lover, you may have thought that you know your beverage – but oh are you in for a surprise!