Beat the heat: How to master the art of making frappé at home

The higher the temperatures outside, the more often we reach for cold, refreshing drinks. Today, I'll show you how to easily prepare a traditional frappé—a frothy iced coffee with a fun history. Given the current prices in cafes, such a skill is pure gold!

Although many among us might look at any "modern" variant of coffee with a colossal dose of misunderstanding and perhaps even disgust, I want to clarify: I do not believe that instant coffee is an embodiment of evil. For this reason, I do not think that frappé coffee—originally made with instant coffee—is an affront to the majesty of any coffee orthodoxy.

I once wrote about why instant coffee is just as good as ground coffee here. If we're talking about frappés, I consider them a very pleasant addition to a sweltering day, which I have often replaced my everyday favorite Americano with. I also like the interesting history of this coffee. According to industry tales, it was created in Greece in 1957 by the Nestlé Corporation. That's where one of the employees supposedly added instant coffee (using this product distinguishes frappé from regular iced coffee) to cold water and then discovered that after long pouring the liquid from one glass to another, not only does a tasty coffee emerge, but it's also decorated with an appetizing foam.

That's more or less how you prepare homemade frappé. You just need a bit of patience and a shaker or... a jar. The result is great, and you'll like it. Good luck!

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons of instant coffee,
• 1 cup (about 240ml) of cold milk,
• 3-4 ice cubes,
• 1 teaspoon of powdered sugar,
• whipped cream (optional).

How to prepare:

1. Place coffee, milk, powdered sugar, and ice in a jar. If you're in a hurry, you can first dissolve the instant coffee in a little hot water, but the frappé will also be successful without this step.
2. Close the jar and shake until foam forms inside. This should take about 1 minute.
3. Open the jar, pour into a tall glass (carefully, not to damage the foam), and it's ready. Enjoy!