136Frappe

Method

Classic medium-sweet Greek frappe. Serves 1 tall glass (metrios me gala style).

You will need

• tall highball glass
• electric frappe mixer or cocktail shaker
• straw

1. In a tall glass or shaker, add the instant coffee granules, sugar, and two tablespoons (30 ml) of cold water. 1 min Ready when: granules and sugar are moistened by the small amount of water
2. Froth using an electric drink mixer or shake vigorously in a sealed cocktail shaker for 20 to 30 seconds until a dense, pale, stiff foam forms. 1 min Ready when: foam becomes glossy, pale cream in colour, and thick enough to hold its shape
3. Add 4 to 5 ice cubes into the tall glass containing the foam. 1 min Ready when: ice settles beneath and supports the foam
4. Slowly pour in the chilled water and the milk if desired, slipping the liquid down the inner side of the glass so the foam rises neatly to the rim. 1 min Ready when: dark liquid rests beneath a thick layer of velvet froth
5. Insert a straw, stir gently once to blend the liquid layer beneath the foam, and serve immediately. 1 min Ready when: drink is frosty cold with a persistent top froth

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Make ahead and storing

Must be made fresh immediately before drinking.

Not suitable for storage; foam will separate and liquify over time.

Substitutions

• leave out entirely for sketos for granulated sugar. Sketos contains only coffee and cold water for a robust, bitter drink.
• oat milk or omit entirely for evaporated milk or whole milk. Oat milk provides a plant-based dairy alternative while maintaining the creamy body.

Common mistakes

• Using freeze-dried coffee crystals instead of Greek spray-dried instant coffee.. Freeze-dried coffee lacks the oils and molecular structure needed to create the signature persistent foam.
• Adding too much water before frothing.. Excess water prevents the mixture from aerating into a stable, velvety froth.

Regional variants

• Sketos: completely unsweetened without any sugar
• Glykos: sweet version made with four teaspoons of sugar to two of coffee

About the dish

The Greek frappe is said to have been invented by accident in 1957 at the Thessaloniki International Fair by Dimitrios Vakondios, an employee of the Nestlé distributor, who wanted an instant coffee during a break but could find no hot water. Shaking the spray-dried coffee granules with cold water and sugar in an ordinary shaker produced a dense, persistent froth. The drink swiftly came to define modern Greek summer café culture, ordered by sweetness as sketos (plain), metrios (medium), or glykos (sweet), with or without milk.

Found in all of Greece, Macedonia. Cooked for everyday, summer.

Cousins elsewhere

• Frappé me gala (Cypriot). Identical preparation ubiquitous throughout Cyprus, traditionally ordered with evaporated milk.
• Caffè shakerato (Italian). Espresso shaken with ice and sugar syrup in a cocktail shaker, lacking the stable spray-dried foam.

Nutrition per serving (estimate)

31 kcal · protein 0 g · fat 0 g (saturated 0 g) · carbohydrate 8 g (sugars 8 g) · fibre 0 g · sodium 9 mg

An estimate (summed from ingredient estimates) that varies with the exact ingredients. It is not dietary advice.

Written fresh by Epikouria editors from general culinary tradition. Recipe by the Epikouria editors. The post-war urban café culture of Thessaloniki and mainland Greece..