Chef Dimitra
Athenian Freddo Espresso (Φρέντο Εσπρέσο)
Athens made espresso Greek by serving it cold: a double shot shaken with ice until the crema turns thick, then poured over cubes for the cafe standard.
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Thessaloniki Frappé (Φραπέ Θεσσαλονίκης)
Created by
Thessaloniki's café glass is instant coffee, sugar, and cold water beaten until the foam stands high, then poured over ice with or without milk. Nothing more.
Beverages
Greek
Outdoor Dining
Quick Meal
5 min
Active Time
0 min cook•5 min total
Yield1 tall glass
Thessaloniki frappé is the cold coffee of the northern café table: instant coffee beaten with a little cold water until it rises into a tan foam, then poured over ice. It is not freddo espresso, and it is not brewed coffee chilled after the fact. The region is the dish's surname here too, because this glass was born in Thessaloniki and then crossed the whole Greek summer.
The one method decides it. Shake the instant coffee, sugar, and just 30ml cold water first, before the ice and the rest of the water go in. That small, hard shake builds the cap that makes a frappé a frappé. Add all the water at once and you've made thin iced coffee, not this drink.
I keep it plain because the original is plain. Sketos means no sugar, metrios is moderately sweet, glykos is sweet, and me gala means with milk, usually evaporated milk in the old café way. A recipe written down is a recipe saved, even when the recipe is only a glass, a shaker, and a hot Thessaloniki afternoon.
Frappé belongs to Thessaloniki before it belongs to the rest of Greece. The standard account places its birth at the 1957 Thessaloniki International Fair, where Nestlé employee Dimitris Vakondios mixed instant coffee, sugar, and cold water in a shaker after he could not find hot water for coffee. By the 1960s it had become the café drink of Greek city life, with orders coded by sweetness: sketos, metrios, glykos, and me gala.
The technique, the tradition, and the story behind every dish.
Discover Culinary ExplorerIngredients
instant coffee powder or fine instant coffee granules
Quantity
4g
granulated sugar (optional)
Quantity
0g, 10g, or 20g
0g for sketos, 10g for metrios, 20g for glykos
very cold water
Quantity
30ml
for frothing
ice cubes
Quantity
6-8
very cold water
Quantity
120ml
to fill
cold evaporated milk (me gala) (optional)
Quantity
30ml
| Ingredient | Quantity |
|---|---|
| instant coffee powder or fine instant coffee granules | 4g |
| granulated sugar (optional)0g for sketos, 10g for metrios, 20g for glykos | 0g, 10g, or 20g |
| very cold waterfor frothing | 30ml |
| ice cubes | 6-8 |
| very cold waterto fill | 120ml |
| cold evaporated milk (me gala) (optional) | 30ml |
Equipment Needed
- •lidded shaker or clean jar, 400ml
- •tall glass, 300-350ml
- •small handheld frappé frother, optional
- •long spoon or reusable straw
Instructions
- 1
Choose Sweetness
Add the instant coffee and the sugar level you want to a shaker or clean jar: none for sketos (σκέτος), 10g for metrios (μέτριος), or 20g for glykos (γλυκός). Pour in 30ml very cold water. Keep the ice and the rest of the water out for now.
- 2
Beat the Foam
Seal and shake hard for 15-20 seconds, or use a small frappé frother for about 10 seconds, until the mixture turns pale tan and fills the shaker with thick foam. This is the whole trick: a little water lets the instant coffee trap air before the drink is diluted. Froth it first, or it is just iced coffee.
A narrow shaker gives faster foam than a wide jar. If using a frother, keep the whisk head just below the surface. - 3
Build the Glass
Drop 6 to 8 ice cubes into a tall glass. Pour the foamed coffee over the ice, scraping in all the thick top with a spoon.
- 4
Lengthen and Serve
Add 120ml very cold water slowly down the side of the glass. Add 30ml cold evaporated milk if you want me gala (με γάλα), the old café way. Stir once or twice with a long spoon, just enough to join the dark coffee below with the foam above, and serve at once.
Chef Tips
- •Use instant coffee. Espresso makes a good freddo, but it does not make frappé. The powder must dissolve fast and hold the air you beat into it.
- •Sugar helps the foam stand, but sketos is real too. If you drink it unsweetened, shake longer and start with the same small amount of water.
- •Serve it at once. The foam slowly thins as it waits, so a pitcher of frappé is not hospitality. It is punishment with ice.
- •For me gala, use cold evaporated milk, not cream. Add it after the water so the top stays clean and tan.
Advance Preparation
- •Chill the water, milk, and glass at least 30 minutes before making the drink.
- •Do not make the frappé ahead. The foam is the drink, and it collapses as it waits.
Frequently Asked Questions
Nutrition Information
1 serving (about 350g)
Calories
95 calories
Total Fat
2.5 g
Saturated Fat
1.5 g
Trans Fat
0 g
Unsaturated Fat
1 g
Cholesterol
10 mg
Sodium
40 mg
Total Carbohydrates
16 g
Dietary Fiber
0 g
Sugars
13 g
Protein
3 g
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