Cleo Coyle's Fast Frappuccino

Well, it finally arrived--the sticky, sweltering oven that is August in New York. On these warm, airless days (so still that nary a gum wrapper stirs), a hot cup of coffee holds less than its usual appeal for me. My solution: chill it!

Despite making my living by the bean, I am not a fan of traditional iced coffee (too watery), but I am a huge fan of frozen coffee frappes.

You may know this drink by any number of names: Frappuccino is the most common. That's the term Starbucks trademarked after buying the Coffee Connection chain in New England, which had previously trademarked the term.

Or maybe you know the drink as a Coolatta (Dunkin' Donuts version) or a Mochalatta (Cinnabon's version). Then there's the very latest entry into the coffee bar business: McDonald's. Their McCafe frozen coffee drink is simply listed on their menu as an Iced Vanilla Latte or Iced Mocha.

Well, now it's time for the Chilly Cleoccino! Yes, my own easy (and smart) home version of this popular summer drink. Why so smart?...The typical first step in a drink like this is to make "double-strength" coffee. The reason is to keep the coffee flavor from being diluted by the additoin of ice. My solution? Don't use ice. Make ice out of your coffee. Even better, use your leftover Joe for this recipe...

To get my Iced Cappuccino and Iced Mocha recipes, click here.

The recipe will appear in PDF format.

You can save it to your computer or print it out.

If you'd like more of my recipes or would like to find out more about
the books in my Coffeehouse Mystery series, then click over
to my virtual home at CoffeehouseMystery.com

One last note. My husband and I often save up coffee all day long to put in our ice trays. The best way to do this is to pour the dregs of each pot into a special container that you can store in the fridge. Keep it there all day (or even two days), continually adding the remnants of your coffee pots until you have enough leftover Joe to fill an ice tray.

My final tip for these hot August days: CHILL, BABY! CHILL!

~Cleo CoyleCoffeeehouseMystery.com
"Where coffee and crime are always brewing...

ENTER TO WIN OUR CONTEST! You must enter NEW every week. Our weekly Mystery Lovers' Kitchen contest randomly awards one of our site visitors a $25 gift certificate to the Williams-Sonoma kitchenware and gourmet food store. Entering is easy: Just sign in to this blog and leave a comment or send an "Enter me!" e-mail with your first name and state to MysteryLoversKitchen@gmail.com Good luck!