Admit it, coffee purists. You fork over $5 for a Starbucks Frappuccino every once in a while. Or (West Coasters) an Ice Blended from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf. Sweetened coffee that's whizzed into a morning milkshake is sometimes irresistible. One writer from Gourmet took a common Vietnamese drink and made a sweet, Frappuccino-like concoction that we wish we had in hand right about now...
If, like us, you want the exact recipe, you'll be disappointed. There are no measurements and instructions with the article. But it's nothing more than the following:
• Strong drip coffee.
• Sweetened, condensed milk.
• Ice.
You mix, you blend. In Vietnam, iced coffee is usually served with sweetened, condensed milk—the writer just took it one step further.
• Read the article: The Vietnamese Frappuccino, at Gourmet
We loved the description of how the Vietnamese serve their iced coffee because we think the best iced coffees we've had have always been in foreign countries. In Greece, it's always thick and frappe-like with a layer of foam on top. Foreign iced coffees are never the watered-down (or, heaven forbid, hot coffee poured over ice) stuff we often get in the US.
So, give it a try. Or maybe you have your own Frappuccino recipe you've developed? Share it with us.
Related: How to Make Iced Coffee
(Image: Stephanie Foley for Gourmet)
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I spent my teenage years in Seattle, and then worked in a bookstore with an in-house cafe for a few years -- the two experiences combined have turned me into a bit of a coffee nut.
In my experience the BEST iced coffee drinks are made from a cold-brewed coffee. The flavor is richer, the acid is lower, and the over-all product needs less sweetener -- plus cold-brewed coffee is so convenient! You can keep it in the fridge for a week or more without it going bad or having the flavor change at all. I use the Toddy coffee maker, but here's a recipe from Smitten Kitchen that also works.
http://www.toddycafe.com/
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/08/cold-brewed-iced-coffee/
I usually make myself a cold-brewed latte instead of a frap because I don't like how my blender blends the ice. But if I was going to make a frap I'd do 2 parts concentrate, 1 part water, 1 part sweetened condensed milk all poured over a full cup of ice and blended.
For an iced latte mixing 1 part cold brewed concentrate with 1 part water, a squirt of vanilla syrup (or simple syrup if I don't have vanilla made), and some half and half till it's the right color. Then I shake it up over ice like a martini, and pour it into a tall glass. There's always a nice head of foam on top, and it's perfect for summer -- plus not as sweet or fattening as a frap.
You can also skip the syrup and just add a shot of Bailey's or Kaluha if you're having it in the afternoon. Mmmmm
I have been making a version of this in the afternoons on days I work at home. So good! I sweeten it with a bit of that maple agave syrup from TJ's and it is nice & sweet!
Give the US a little credit, any good cafe knows how to make a good strong iced coffee or americano. There are some European countries that are not even familiar with the concept of iced coffee, like Portugal for instance. For our first few days there one August my Portuguese speaking husband tried to explain what we were looking for to numerous puzzled faces. Most cafes there don't even keep enough ice on hand to make a single iced anything. we eventually surrendered to espresso and never looked back.
When I have extra coffee, I freeze it in ice-cube trays. Then, when I want to make something like this, I use the coffee cubes instead of regular ice. If I don't want it to be very strong, I just blend them with milk; if I'm going for a stronger brew, I use fresh coffee, too.
The recipe Mark Bittman posted for New Orleans-style coffee concentrate is my go-to summer drink. It's incredibly rich and smooth, and barely requires any sweetener. The only problem is how fast my roommates will tear through a batch--we go through twice as much coffee when it's 95 degrees outside as when it's 35.
I agree Toddy coffee concentrate makes the best iced coffee. I actually had some this morning!
I picked up a shave-ice machine at a thrift shop and have been pouring my thai coffee over a cup of ice instead of blending it - yum!
The pioneer woman has a very similar version to these and gives step by step directions.
http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/perfect-iced-coffee/
The ultimate lazy iced latte: cold milk, instant coffee, (the best concentrated and soluble even in cold milk version of coffee) and sugar. Whip/stir with a fork until frothy. Add ice. Dubbed a "frappe", I have been drinking some version of this for over 15 years almost daily. They are so addicting. I often sub in Ovaltine rich chocolate drink mix or a Carnation instant breakfast instead of sugar for a bit more nutrition and call it breakfast. Definitely getting my recommended daily amount of milk.