The Greek-style freddo cappuccino is similar to the Italian dessert coffee, caffè freddo con panna - “cold espresso coffee topped with whipped cream.”
The Greek versions developed their distinguishing characteristics from two things found in every Greek coffee shop: Evaporated milk, a holdover from the days when unsweetened condensed milk served as a safe and reliable substitute for perishable fresh milk, and the spindle drinks mixer used not for blending milkshakes but for foaming and frothing frappés.
The mixing action of the drinks mixer is much more powerful than a handheld shaker and so the frothy golden foam of the iced espresso is smoother and denser, almost to the point of creaminess. The evaporated milk, when blitzed in the drinks mixer, thickens into a perfectly smooth yet pourable cream. You’re not tempted to eat it with a spoon, as you might be with thick, desserty Italian panna. Crucially, if you slowly stir the freddo cappuccino with a straw, the thickened evaporated milk with not split up or break up. Its dissolution is gradual and fluid. And if you don’t agitate the drink, it will take a very long time for the whitish top and brownish bottom to merge into a single tan drink.
Evaporated milk in Greece is known by the popular brand name pronounced “Nou-Nou” and spelled NOYNOY. But whatever brand of evaporated milk you use, the key advantage over regular milk is that it foams to a velvety texture with high stability. If you sip a Greek-style freddo cappuccino very slowly, or if you’re at the beach and you leave it for a few minutes to dive into sea for a quick swim, the tight foam won’t desert you. This is a frothy iced coffee with staying power.
FREDDO CAPPUCCINO RECIPE
1 double shot espresso
sugar to taste (optional)
Ice cubes
65-100ml cold evaporated milk (substitute whole milk or soy milk)
Combine espresso, sugar and a few ice in a blender, cocktail shaker or mixer and mix/shake vigorously. Strain into a glass over a 3 or 4 ice cubes.
Blitz milk in a blender or spin with a frother until thick and creamy.
Place spoon over the glass and slowly pour the beaten milk over the spoon, letting it overflow and float over the shaken iced coffee. Do not stir milk into coffee.
Serve with straw.