For a cool kick on a hot summer’s day
Ice coffee and coffee frappe are among people’s favorite summer beverages. The primary difference between the two is that ice coffee is a liquid drink served cold with ice cubes, while in the case of a frappe, the ice is crushed to give the entire drink a slush-like consistency.
When making a frappe, in order to give the slush a rich and creamy-texture, people often use readymade frappe powders (Slojo, etc.). However, a simple substitute, found in most pantries, is full-cream milk powder (such as Klim).
Ice Coffee (250ml glass)
Ingredients:
One shot espresso or one to one and a half tsp instant coffee (Nescafe Gold works well).
Milk (to fill the glass, leaving place for the ice cubes)
Ice (3-4 cubes)
Sugar (2 tsp or add to taste)
Method:
In the case where espresso is used, simply combine the ingredients in a glass, mix and enjoy. The coffee amount can be increased or decreased based on individual preference (e.g. double espresso shot instead of single, or two teaspoon instant coffee powder).
In the case of using instant coffee, it is recommended that the coffee granules be dissolved in boiling/hot water first, as they sometimes tend to resist dissolving completely when immersed in cold water or milk.
It is also recommended that the sugar be added to the espresso/instant coffee mixture and stirred thoroughly before adding the milk as it will dissolve better.
Note: Instead of ice cubes, vanilla ice cream can be added which will result in a more milkshake-like texture. Likewise, in place of sugar, chocolate Nesquik can be used (2-3 heaped teaspoons). This will result in a mocha ice-coffee.
For a Vietnamese Ice Coffee, use condensed milk instead of sugar. First fill one-fifth to one-sixth of the glass with condensed milk (or more or less, based on preference), and then add the remaining ingredients.
Coffee Frappe (300-350ml glass)
Ingredients:
2 Tbsp milk powder
One shot espresso or one and a half to two tsp instant coffee
Quarter glass milk
A full glass of ice cubes
Method:
Add all the ingredients to the blender and crush the ice (if the blender has an ice-crushing mode, use it, otherwise, start-and-stop the blender until the ice is crushed). Ensure that the blender is suitable for ice cubes, or else the blender may be damaged. After crushing the ice, if the blender has a smoothie mode, then run it in that mode until a smooth and slushy consistency is achieved. If not, run the blender on a high setting until the desired texture is seen.
When using instant coffee granules for a frappe, it is recommended that the granules be dissolved in a little bit of boiling water first (25 ml is usually sufficient). It is also recommended that castor sugar be used instead of ordinary sugar, as it dissolves more easily.
If the consistency is too watery, add more ice and decrease the milk amount slightly.
Note:
Instead of making a coffee frappe, the same method can be used to make a Milo frappe (or even a Bombay-crush frappe by using rose/elachi syrup, or any other flavor of frappe). In the case of a Milo frappe, use 4-5 heaped tsp of Milo for the rich, malty and chocolatey Milo flavour that we all enjoy.