Better-than-Starbucks Coffee Frappé

A lot happened at the turn of the millennium. We were introduced to Beyoncé by way of Destiny’s child, VH1’s Pop-Up Video gave us winning trivia answers for years to come, and Blockbuster’s heyday was ending, thanks to a new mail-in-DVD service called Netflix. At the same time, a certain chain of coffee shops opened, seemingly overnight, in just about every suburban strip mall and introduced us to the wonderfulness of Frappuccinos (or frappés).

I give credit to this coffee-flavored milkshake (let’s be real — that’s essentially what it is!) for introducing me to coffee. Even in this era of cold brew and coffee concentrates, nothing is as refreshing on a hot summer afternoon as a blended coffee frappé.

The word frappé comes from the French verb “frapper,” meaning to hit. The history of the frappé also has roots in another part of Europe. In Greece, instant coffee is shaken with sugar and water and poured over ice to make a foamy and refreshing caffeinated beverage.

Starbucks trademarked the term Frappuccino® in the mid-1990s upon acquiring a coffee shop that served a blended coffee concoction. Starbucks stores are the only coffee shops that can legally advertise this beverage by name, so expect to see this blended beverage labeled as a “frappé” elsewhere.

1. Make and cool coffee. Chill brewed espresso, instant espresso, or strong brewed coffee until very cold.
2. Place ingredients in blender. Add milk, light brown sugar, and vanilla in a blender, then top with ice. Ice cubes differ in size and shape, so the best way to measure is by weight. Using four ounces of ice cubes results in a perfectly blended beverage in which the flavor is not diluted.
3. Blend. Begin blending on low and increase to high speed to crush the ice finely and incorporate air into the beverage.
4. Serve. Pour the frappé into two glasses and top with whipped cream, if desired. Serve immediately.