Frappé Gourmet Coffee
8,000 years ago, the people of Athens, Greece introduced democracy to the world and it’s a concept that’s been popular, to say the least. 8,000 years after that, more specifically 1957, the Greeks would give us another brilliant invention in the form of…gourmet cold coffee? This drink, conceptualized, marketed, and created by Nestle may not revolutionize the world in the way democracy has, but just like democracy, it’s massively popular across the world.
Greek Frappe, or usually just called Frappe amidst the other many names it has, ranks with water as the most popular gourmet beverage in Greece and is one of the most popular coffee-based beverages in Europe. In the United States, Frappe has caught on but in a different way; Frappe has become a part of the Frappuccino, a Frappe/Cappuccino beverage mix that’s become the trademark drink of Starbucks, a café industry powerhouse. Yannis Dritsas and Dimitris Vakondios are credited with the invention of Greek Frappe in 1957, when at the International Trade Fair in Thessaloniki, Vakondios mixed coffee with cold water and shook it up. Looking for something to market to people at the fair on behalf of Nestle Co., Dritsas presented Vakondios’s improvised lunch drink to fair-goers. Nestle has made millions of dollars from Frappe since, and Frappe is so popular with Greeks that it’s thought by many to be the “official coffee of the Greece”.
Frappe’s popularity can probably be attributed to the fact that it’s as tasty as it looks. Most true gourmet Frappe, especially which made in Greece, often consists of half-froth and half smooth coffee. This unique froth is actually spray-dried coffee that appears very similar to the froth used in making a Cappuccino, but tastes a little zestier. With a machine specifically made for making Frappe, anyone can be a gourmet chef in making it…but a machine cannot be considered a substitute for the know-how to make the coffee good. Some of this includes knowing that since gourmet Frappe is simply froth-covered coffee on its own, the right mixtures of milk and sugar could be added, but not an excess of sugar or dairy creamer as they contain oil. In the traditional gourmet beverage Frappe, for the purposes of maintaining froth and taste, the usage of oil is generally avoided.
Another thing that might explain Frappe’s popularity lies in its ease of creation. To make a simple gourmet Frappe, simply get a shaker, 2-3 tablespoons of cold water, a teaspoon of instant coffee, and maybe sugar; no more than one cube if you decide to use sugar. Shake the mixture and pour it into a glass, add water and possibly milk. Done! Given, this won’t be nearly as good a Frappe as one might find in an upscale Athenian café, but it’s a good drink to impress friends when they come over during the day and also at night, as alcohol is easily and often added to Frappe. The best results from mixing alcohol with Frappe are rumored to come from Gin, but never whiskey or any other very strong-tasting liquor.
Easy to make, popular, and easy to serve, it’s not hard to see why gourmet Frappe is becoming a world-favorite coffee.