Today is National Frappe day. To be honest, I didn’t know much about Frappe before researching this blog entry. Even though I may have planned a trip to Chicago, solely around a place that sous vides their coffee beans (or used to - they’re closed now or stopped making it altogether), I wouldn’t say I’m a coffee enthusiast. I’ve found a coffee I enjoy (Colombe) and I like my morning coffee with 1 Truvia and a bit of half-and-half. Sometimes, I’ll make/have an espresso. I like a mocha or caramel frappuccino just as much as any other person. So, I was shocked to learn that frappe (a word that typically has an accent on that last “e”) was not a French concoction, but GREEK!
You’ll notice I’m not employing the accent either. Because, it’s Greek not French...or is it? I mean, yes, it’s Greek originally, but the French make frappé. To make matters even more confusing, I had a frappe in Cafe Mexico on my honeymoon in Florence, Italy...so was that a Mexican or Italian frappe I consumed? All things I’d love to consider, but 1) this is a food blog, not a beverage blog and 2) this is an unpaid venture and my paying job is kicking my ass this week so I don’t have time to figure it out right now.
I did call my Greek boss and told him how I made mine and he said I better not post it because he would make fun of (insult) me because it wasn’t the best (Greek, traditional) way.
So, I went back to the drawing board last night and made more the traditional way. Then my newly betrothed was all over me the past 2 days saying she could make one better than me. Everyone has opinions, don’t they? So, I present you 3 different ways to make a frappe. Oh...and this photo - it was from my first take - not any of these following 3 which come out a bit darker. For those I went a little old school, not using an exact tsp measure, but a heaping normal tsp that you’d pull out of your kitchen utensil drawer - because “that’s how everyone does it in Greece.”
Frappe - Mangia Style
All traditional frappe employ Nescafe. This helps when making the foam: less oil in the coffee means better foaming qualities. I also like mine with a little Disaronno. I employ the little frother wand but not in the way I originally learned (frothing at the beginning which gives you the thick foam topping as seen in the photo above). I went “Dino Style” (see below) and shook initially. However, the condensed milk was not emulsifying AT ALL. So, I used the stick frother at the end. Please don’t fire me for this transgression, Dino.
3 tsp Nescafé Clásico instant coffee
Ice water
1/4 cup Disaronno
Sweetened condensed milk
Place the instant coffee and 2 tbsp water in a small jar. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
Fill a glass with ice. Pour in the Disaronno, followed by the shaken coffee “foam”.
Slowly pour in some water to nearly fill the glass.
Top with about a half tablespoon of condensed milk and using a stick frother, blend the ingredients until combined and serve with a straw.
If you don’t have a stick frother, either mix the Disaronno and condensed milk together before pouring over the ice, or eliminate the condensed milk altogether and simply add 1 tsp of sugar in the first step.
Frappe - Dino Style
2 heaping tsp Nescafé Clásico instant coffee
1 tsp of sugar
Ice water
Cream or milk
Place the instant coffee, sugar, and 2 tbsp water in a small jar. Shake vigorously for 30 seconds.
Fill a glass with ice. Pour in the shaken coffee.
Slowly pour in some water to nearly fill the glass.
Add in a splash of heavy cream or milk.
Give one stir with a straw and serve.
Frappe-something-or-other - Mazobella Style
No rules. Is it even a frappe? You think she used (or provided me with) any measurements? Welcome to life with my “culinary chaos Muppet” wife, Megan. I love her because she doesn’t give any of the fucks and keeps me on my toes. This is the best I remember from watching her do her thing.
Nescafé Clásico instant coffee (maybe 3 tsp?)
Chocolate syrup (~ 2-second squirt)
Ice + water (how much? Yes.)
Sweetened condensed milk (big glob, probably 2-3 tbsp)
Throw everything together in a blender bowl of a Nutribullet (or other small blender) and whiz away until it resembles more of a frappuccino. Sample and adjust to your taste.
Don’t top it with whipped cream or she’ll cut you. Serve.
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Copyright 2021, Brendan McCann, All Rights Reserved.
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