The Accidental Invention of the Greek Frappe

Every summer, cafe terraces across Greece fill with tall glasses topped with thick, light-brown foam and a straw. This is the frappe, Greece’s iced instant coffee, and according to the most famous version of its story it was invented by accident in 1957 at the Thessaloniki International Fair, when a salesman could not find any hot water.

The story is charming, and partly true. Below you will find the legend, what later research adds to it, how the frappe became a national habit, and a simple recipe so you can shake one yourself.

The legend: a salesman, a shaker and no hot water

In September 1957, the Thessaloniki International Fair was running as usual in northern Greece. At the stand of Nestlé’s Greek distributor, a company representative named Dimitris Vakondios was demonstrating products, including Nestlé’s cocoa drink, which was mixed in a shaker.

During a break, Vakondios wanted a coffee. Instant Nescafé was at hand, but there was no hot water. So he did what seemed obvious at the moment: he put instant coffee and a little cold water into the shaker, added ice and shook. The mixture turned into a thick, frothy foam, and the frappe was born. Nescafé itself tells this version of the story today, crediting Vakondios and the 1957 fair.

What historians add

Like many food origin stories, this one is a little tidier than reality. Researchers who have looked at Nestlé’s early Greek marketing found that the company was promoting a cold, frothy “Nescafé frappé” soon after the fair, and that early recipes were not quite the drink Greeks know today.

• A Greek-language Nestlé brochure from around that time described a frappe made with evaporated milk, water, Nescafé and a scoop of vanilla ice cream, closer to a French-style café frappé.
• By 1963, print advertising showed a glass with a thick head of foam and simple instructions: beat Nescafé, sugar and cold water.
• Some sources suggest the name “frappé” for cold Nescafé drinks was already in use, so the 1957 moment may be better understood as the birth of the shaken Greek style rather than of cold instant coffee in general.

So the fair-stand accident is the story Greeks love, and it is probably close to the truth for the shaken technique. Nestlé’s marketing then turned it into a habit.

Why a frappe foams so well

The secret is in the instant coffee. Greek frappe is traditionally made with spray-dried instant coffee, which contains very little coffee oil. Oils tend to break down foam, so a low-oil powder shaken hard with a small amount of water traps lots of tiny air bubbles and forms a stable, almost meringue-like head. Fresh brewed coffee, with its natural oils, does not foam the same way.

How to order a frappe in Greece

Greeks order a frappe by sweetness, and optionally with milk:

Milk, traditionally evaporated milk, goes in only if you ask for me gála. Without it, a frappe is just coffee, sugar, water and ice, and it is drunk slowly through a straw over a long conversation.

Greek frappe recipe

Makes 1 tall glass.

Steps

1. Combine. Put the instant coffee, sugar and the small amount of cold water into a shaker, a jar with a tight lid, or a tall glass if you are using a frother.
2. Shake hard. Shake vigorously for 20 to 30 seconds, or whip with a handheld milk frother, until the mixture becomes a thick, pale foam that has at least doubled in volume.
3. Pour. Pour the foam into a tall glass.
4. Add ice and water. Add the ice cubes, then slowly pour cold water down the side of the glass. The foam will rise to the top.
5. Add milk if you like. Pour in evaporated milk or regular milk for a frappe me gála.
6. Serve with a straw. Stir gently before sipping.

Tips

• Use only a little water at first. Too much liquid in the shaker gives a weak, bubbly foam.
• Sugar helps the foam. Even a metrios frappe foams more easily than a sketos one.
• Results depend on your instant. Different instant coffees foam differently; spray-dried powders tend to give the thickest head.
• Chill everything. Cold water and a cold glass keep the foam stable longer.

Variations

• Lighter frappe: Go sketos and use skim milk, or no milk at all.
• Dairy-free: Top with oat or almond milk instead of evaporated milk.
• Frappe with ice cream: Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream, a nod to Nestlé’s early recipe.

Frappe vs freddo

In recent years, Greek cafes have also embraced the freddo espresso and freddo cappuccino, made with fresh espresso shaken or blended with ice. They are related in spirit but different in base: the frappe is instant coffee, while freddos use espresso. Many Greeks still order the frappe for its nostalgia and its long-lasting foam.

Make it with Feel Espresso

For a quick frappe at home, at the office or on the beach, our Instant Coffee comes in a resealable pouch with about 30 servings and dissolves in seconds. Foam texture varies between instant coffees, so if your first frappe is a little lighter than a Greek cafe’s, shake a bit longer or add a touch more sugar. If you would rather go the freddo route, a bold espresso blend from our best sellers works well. Curious about the bigger picture? Read our history of coffee.

Greek frappe FAQ

Who invented the Greek frappe?

The popular story credits Dimitris Vakondios, a Nestlé representative, who shook instant coffee with cold water at the Thessaloniki International Fair in 1957. Nestlé’s early marketing then helped spread the drink.

What is in a Greek frappe?

Instant coffee, sugar to taste and a little cold water, shaken into foam, then topped with ice, more water and optional milk.

What does métrios mean?

Medium sweet. With two teaspoons of coffee, a métrios frappe has about two teaspoons of sugar.

Can I make a frappe with regular brewed coffee?

Not in the classic way. Brewed coffee contains oils that stop it foaming like instant coffee does; for brewed or espresso-based iced drinks, try a freddo instead.

Is a frappe the same as a Frappuccino?

No. The Greek frappe is shaken instant coffee with ice and water, while a Frappuccino is a blended, often milky and flavored drink from a coffee chain.

Sources

1. Frappé coffee, Wikipedia.
2. The History of Greek-Style Frappe, I Need Coffee.
3. Did you know that Nescafé invented the frappé?, Nescafé.

Facts checked in October 2026.

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