Freddo Espresso and Freddo Cappuccino: How to Make Greece’s Iced Coffee

A freddo espresso is Greece’s favourite summer coffee: a double espresso blended or shaken with ice until it turns into a light, frothy foam, then poured over fresh ice. Top it with cold, frothed milk and it becomes a freddo cappuccino. Both are easy to make at home with an espresso machine or a stovetop moka pot and a handheld milk frother.

Freddo espresso recipe

Serves: 1 drink. Prep: 5 minutes. Cook: none. Total: 5 minutes.

Ingredients

• 2 shots (about 60 ml) freshly made espresso (a double shot)
• 1–2 tsp sugar, to taste (optional; Greeks order it sketos, metrios or glykos: unsweetened, medium or sweet)
• About 6 ice cubes for mixing, plus more for the glass
• For a freddo cappuccino: ⅓ cup (80 ml) very cold milk (low-fat or evaporated milk foams best)

Method

1. Make a double espresso. If you take sugar, stir it into the hot coffee now so it dissolves.
2. Put 3–4 ice cubes in a tall jug or cocktail shaker, add the hot espresso and blend with a hand frother or drinks mixer, or shake hard, for 15–20 seconds, until it turns into a light, tawny foam.
3. Fill a tall glass with fresh ice and pour or strain the frothy espresso over it.
4. For a freddo cappuccino, froth the cold milk with the frother (don’t heat it) for 30–60 seconds, until thick, then spoon it over the coffee.
5. Serve with a straw and drink slowly, Greek style.

Where the freddo comes from

“Freddo” means cold in Italian, but the drink took shape in Greece in the 1990s, as espresso became popular. For decades, the iced coffee of Greece had been the frappé, made from instant coffee. Café owners wanted a cold drink that would keep espresso sales going through the hot summer. Kafea Terra, a Greek coffee company, credits its founder, Yiannis Iosifidis, with developing the freddo espresso in 1991; others describe it as an idea that grew in many cafés at once. By the 2000s it had become one of the most popular coffee drinks in Greece.

Freddo espresso vs other iced coffees

Drink	Coffee	Texture
Freddo espresso	Double espresso, blended with ice	Frothy, aerated, served over ice
Freddo cappuccino	Freddo espresso	Topped with thick, cold milk foam
Frappé	Instant coffee shaken with water	Thick foam, usually with milk added
Iced latte	Espresso poured over ice and milk	Not aerated; milk mixed in
Shakerato (Italy)	Espresso shaken with ice	Frothy, strained into a glass, often served without ice

Tips for a better freddo

• Blend it hot. Hitting hot espresso with ice and air straight away gives the best foam and chills it fast.
• Use enough ice to mix, then fresh ice in the glass, so the drink isn’t watery.
• Sweeten early. Sugar dissolves in hot coffee, not cold.
• For the milk foam, use very cold milk. Low-fat and evaporated milk whip into stable foam; whole milk is creamier but less stiff.
• No espresso machine? Use strong coffee from a moka pot or an AeroPress. The foam will be lighter but still good.

Can you make a freddo with Greek coffee?

Not really. A freddo needs espresso-style coffee. Greek coffee is very finely ground and boiled with water in a briki, then served with its grounds settling in the cup, so it can’t be strained into a clear, foamy iced drink. In Greece, people simply choose between them: a hot Greek coffee in the morning, a freddo in the afternoon heat. Our Greek coffee for the briki (193 g) is made for the traditional hot cup.

How strong is a freddo?

A freddo espresso is made with a double shot, so it contains the caffeine of two espressos; the exact amount depends on the coffee and the shot size. The US Food and Drug Administration says up to 400 mg of caffeine a day is not generally associated with negative effects for most healthy adults, while sensitivity varies from person to person. If you’re pregnant, breastfeeding or sensitive to caffeine, ask your doctor what’s right for you.

Ordering in Greece

• Sketos (unsweetened), metrios (medium) or glykos (sweet): the same sweetness terms used for Greek coffee.
• Freddo espresso: just coffee. Freddo cappuccino: with milk foam.
• Me gala: with a splash of milk.

Learn more about Greek coffee culture in Greek vs Turkish coffee, or browse the Greek coffee collection.

Sources

• Coffee Intelligence: Roots of freddo espresso in Greece (2024)
• US FDA: Spilling the beans: how much caffeine is too much?

Freddo espresso: frequently asked questions