I tend to think of frappes as a fairly modern cold coffee drink, but frappes actually have been around for at least a hundred years – and they are not necessarily a coffee drink. They actually are just a chilled drink served with ice or frozen to a slush. I recently came across a hundred-year-old recipe for Cider Frappe and decided to give it a try.
The Frappe was wonderful. The recipe called for mixing cider, orange juice, and lemon juice together. This worked really well. The sweetness of the apples in the cider blended nicely with the citrus undertones provided by the orange and lemon juice.
Here’s the original recipe:
Here’s the recipe updated for modern cooks:
Cider Frappe
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups water
4 cups cider
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
Put sugar and water in a saucepan. Using medium heat bring to a boil; stir occasionally. Reduce heat and gently simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cider, orange juice, and lemon juice. Put the mixture in ice cube trays or freezer boxes. Freeze until a slush. If desired put the slushy mixture into the blender and blend for a few seconds to make the mixture smoother. Put into glasses and serve.
I’m not a cider fan, but this sounds tempting.
Even if you aren’t a cider fan, I think that you might like it. The orange and lemon juice gives the frappe a lovely nuanced flavor with a hint of citrus.
👍
Sounds perfect for a warm, sunny autumn day.
It would be lovely on a nice autumn day.
Sounds delicious! I only wish I could find my slushy maker!
Now that you mention it, I think that we also had a slushy maker years ago. It probably left the house in a long-forgotten garage sale.
I was sure we had one but Sparky has insisted we loaned it to someone who hasn’t ever returned it!
That does sound really good. Worth a try.
I think that you’ll like it.
I was surprised that you found the recipe from 100 years ago.
I also was surprised to see this recipe. If someone had just given this recipe with no date associated with it, I would have guessed that the recipe was much more recent.
Of course, in New England a frappe (one syllable only, rhymes with rap) is a milkshake that includes ice cream; no ice cream was just a plain milkshake. Elsewhere, a milkshake included ice cream.
We loved those when I was a kid. A frappe was a treat when mom let us stop at the ice cream counter at the drug store. It was served in a lovely glass, and you got the steel blender container to pour out your seconds as well.
Never saw one here that used cider.
The regional variation in the meaning of some words is fascinating. Until I read your comment, I’d always assumed that ice cream was a key ingredient in milkshakes everywhere.
Nope, a milkshake here is milk and whatever flavoring, strawberry, chocolate, etc. But I’ll gladly add some ice cream for you and just call it a frappe, with extras for seconds.
I think that we’d just call it flavored milk – chocolate milk, strawberry milk, etc.
The milk and flavoring are shaken, not stirred!
I would not be a fan since I don’t like cider.
If you don’t like cider, this probably isn’t a recipe for you.
Probably not.
Keep up the good work!
Thanks for the kind words. It’s nice to hear that you enjoy this blog.