Enjoy a Greek Coffeehouse Experience

Few things sound better than a coffee drink poured over chilly ice on a warm, summer day in Texas. Whether it be sitting outdoors at a Starbucks or your local coffee shop, there’s something relaxing (and tasty) about iced coffees, especially the frappé coffee.

After being invented on accident by coffee makers in the city of Thessaloniki, it soon evolved into a hallmark of Greek coffee culture, and is enjoyed by Greeks and foreign tourists alike.

Frappé coffee is very popular in Greece and is starting to emerge an alternative to sugar-heavy frappuccino and cappuccinos at chain coffee stores.

When a representative from Nestlé visited Thessaloniki for a trade fair, he came promoting a new chocolate-flavored beverage aimed at children that was made by adding milk and powder into a cocktail shaker and shaking it. One afternoon, an employee from Nestlé who had seen the presentation was in search for a way to enjoy his coffee. With no hot water on hand, he mixed instant coffee with cold water and ice cubes and shook it up. This experiment led to what Nestlé deems its “most popular drink in all of Greece.”

So how can you make your own frappé coffee and taste the history of Greece in your own home? It’s simple. Add a couple teaspoons of your favorite instant coffee with sugar (to taste) and a small amount of water to a cocktail shaker. The foam that comes as a result of the heavy shaking should be poured into a tall glass and over ice cubes – best served with a straw. Opa!