Mazagran: The Story of the Original Iced Coffee

Long before cold brew and iced lattes, French cafes served a tall glass of cold coffee called a mazagran. It is often described as the original iced coffee: strong coffee, sweetened, cut with cold water and served over ice. In Portugal, it took on a twist that surprises many people today, a squeeze of lemon. The name comes from a small fortified town in Algeria, and from a battle that made it famous in France in 1840.

Here is what history can confirm, what belongs to legend, and how to make both the classic and the Portuguese-style mazagran at home.

The battle that gave the drink its name

Mazagran is a town near the port of Mostaganem in western Algeria. In early February 1840, during France’s conquest of Algeria, a small French garrison held a fort there against forces of the Emir Abdelkader. The defenders, 123 men of a light infantry battalion under Captain Hilaire Lelièvre, held out until relief arrived, and the attackers withdrew.

Back in France, the defense became a sensation. Paris newspapers covered it heavily, a replica of the fort was built on the Champs-Élysées, Lelièvre and several of his men received the Légion d’honneur, and a street in Paris was named Rue Mazagran. The town’s name was suddenly everywhere, on lithographs, songs, plays and all kinds of merchandise.

The legend of the soldiers’ coffee

How did a battle become a drink? Here the story turns into legend. The most common version says that French troops in the area, short of milk or brandy to add to their coffee, mixed coffee or coffee syrup with cold water to cope with the heat. When soldiers returned to Paris, they supposedly asked cafes for coffee served the same way, in a tall glass, and the drink became known as café mazagran.

Another version, told by some baristas, adds lemon juice to the soldiers’ cups. There is no reliable contemporary record of exactly what the garrison drank, so treat these details as legend. What is documented is that the name Mazagran became fashionable in France after 1840, and that cold coffee served in a glass came to carry it. In France, a stemmed, handle-less coffee glass is still called a mazagran.

Mazagran around the world

• France: The original café mazagran was cold, sweetened coffee diluted with water. It was fashionable in Parisian cafes for a long time but has since largely disappeared from menus.
• Portugal: The drink lives on in Portuguese cafes and pastry shops as a sweet iced coffee with lemon, sometimes with a splash of rum.
• Catalonia: A similar mix of iced coffee and lemon is served there too.
• Austria: A very different drink shares the name: cold coffee with rum and an ice cube, traditionally drunk in one go.

There is even a modern footnote. In the mid-1990s, Starbucks and PepsiCo tested a carbonated, flavored coffee drink sold under the Mazagran name in California. It did not catch on, but the work behind it fed into later bottled coffee drinks.

Recipe 1: Classic café mazagran

Makes 1 tall glass. This is the simple, old-fashioned French style: strong coffee, sugar and cold water over ice.

1. Brew the coffee strong and stir in the sugar while it is hot so it dissolves.
2. Let it cool to room temperature, or chill it in the fridge.
3. Fill a tall glass with ice, pour in the coffee, then top with cold water.
4. Stir and taste; add more water if you want it lighter.

Recipe 2: Portuguese mazagran with lemon

Makes 1 glass. The lemon brightens the coffee and makes it surprisingly refreshing, a little like an iced tea with lemon.

1. Stir the sugar into the hot espresso until dissolved.
2. Fill a glass with ice and add the lemon slice.
3. Pour the sweetened coffee over the ice, add the lemon juice and stir.
4. Top with cold water if you prefer a longer, lighter drink.
5. For an evening version for adults, add the rum. Please drink responsibly.

Tips and variations

• Start with little lemon. One teaspoon is enough to brighten the coffee; more makes it tart.
• Use simple syrup. Sugar dissolves poorly in cold drinks, so sweeten while the coffee is hot or use syrup.
• Alcohol-free: Both recipes are alcohol-free by default; skip the rum or add a drop of vanilla instead.
• Lighter version: Reduce or skip the sugar; the lemon adds brightness that makes sugar less necessary.
• Sparkling twist: Top the Portuguese version with sparkling water for a fizzy coffee lemonade.

Which coffee to use

Mazagran works best with a smooth, low-bitterness coffee that does not clash with lemon. Our Brazil Santos is a balanced medium roast with cocoa and roasted nut notes and low acidity, perfect for the classic French style. For the lemon version, Colombia is a natural match: its dried orange and berry notes echo the citrus, with a chocolate finish. Both are roasted 1–5 days before delivery and available ground for espresso or filter. Explore more in our Single Origins collection.

Mazagran FAQ

What is a mazagran coffee?

A cold coffee drink, usually strong coffee sweetened and served over ice with cold water. In Portugal it often includes lemon and sometimes rum.

Why is it called mazagran?

It is named after Mazagran in Algeria, where a small French garrison held a fort in February 1840. The battle made the name famous in France.

Did French soldiers really invent iced coffee?

That is the popular legend, but there is no reliable record of what the soldiers drank. It is safer to say the drink took its name from the battle.

Does coffee with lemon taste good?

Many people are surprised by how refreshing it is. A small amount of lemon brightens the coffee, especially with sugar and plenty of ice.

Is mazagran the same as cold brew?

No. Mazagran is hot-brewed coffee that is cooled and served over ice, often diluted with water. Cold brew is steeped in cold water for many hours.

Sources

1. Battle of Mazagran, Wikipedia.
2. Mazagran (drinkware), Wikipedia.
3. Three unique drinks: Mazagran, Café de Olla and Einspänner, Barista Magazine.
4. Mazagran (coffee beverage), Wikipedia archive mirror.

Facts checked in October 2026.

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