The Lockdown Frappe Recipe That Stuck

No blender. No fluff. Just iced, frothy coffee in under 5 minutes.

Back in lockdown, the world went through phases. Sourdough. Banana bread. Tiger King. And, somewhere in between the balcony workouts and banana hoarding, there was… the frappé.

You remember it: the frothy, shaken, vigorously-whisked instant coffee drink that took over TikTok, Instagram and probably your group chats. Except unlike the whipped trends that fizzled out, this one stuck. At least in my house.

Something else that stuck? The no-bake cheesecake. I'll work on giving it the blog spotlight it deserves, in the interim here’s another sweet trend that’s stood the test of time Quick 5-Minute Sorbets, because fruit and freezers were made for each other.

But now, years later and one Zoom call (shoutout to the writers who asked), this frappe recipe is finally on the blog.

Why You'll Love This (No Longer) Locked Down Frappe Recipe

✔️ No blender needed ✔️ Customisable sweetness + strength ✔️ Frothy café vibes, minus the café prices ✔️ Done in under 5 minutes ✔️ Pairs brilliantly with word counts and wishful thinking

Frappe Ingredients (Serves 1)

✅ 1 tbsp instant coffee (I use Nescafé)✅ 1 tbsp brown sugar (brings out the coffee) ✅ 1 tbsp cold water✅ Ice cubes✅ Milk of choice (I go full-fat but oat is lovely too)

Optional: Splash of caramel syrup or squirt of whipped cream (if you're feeling extra)

Directions:

1. In a tall glass or glass jar, add coffee, sugar and cold water in equal parts.

2. Shake vigorously (like your deadlines depend on it) or whisk until light and frothy about 30 seconds to 1 minute.

   Yes, arm workouts count as steps.

3. Add ice to your glass of frothy goodness.

4. Top with your milk of choice to a consistency of your choice.

5. Stir, sip, enjoy… and wonder why you ever queued at a coffee shop.

Backstory

This coffee hack blew up online in 2020. Dubbed the Dalgona coffee trend but unlike many viral experiments (looking at you, sourdough starter), this one’s been on repeat ever since. But the requests today sent me willingly down a rabbit hole where I have since found an archived IG post from May 2020.

Archived Girl Well Travelled Frappe Post

Here I used double the above ingredients, then topped with a cup of water and 1/2 cup semi skimmed milk.

Well-fuelled by an inadvisable amount of caffeine, I felt brave. Borderline invincible, so I did the unthinkable: I hit publish on my very first short-story. A bold move. A historic moment. I expected thunderous applause, perhaps a modest book deal, maybe even a Netflix adaptation.

Then I re-read it. And swiftly adjusted my caffeine intake ever since. Ha-ha!

Anyhew, this recipe on the blog is all thanks to a recent Eastern Time Zoom with a few hundred fellow writers. I’d casually mentioned, 'London’s warm enough for me to make a frappe,' and next thing I knew, I was scrambling to jot down a recipe that’s usually just floating around in my subconscious. So here it is.

Because as you know writers love a caffeine kick.

What to Pair It With

A Taste of Made In Oldstead – my post on home dining that feels restaurant-worthy. Quick Air-Fried Steak five-star results with three ingredients. The Reading Room if you like your coffee with a side of storytelling.

Tried It?

Tell me in the comments or tag me in your creation. Bonus points if it’s on a desk surrounded by notebooks and half-written drafts.