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1. Place 2 teaspoons of instant coffee, sugar to taste, and a splash (3-to-4 tablespoons) of cold water in a shaker, jar, or drink mixer. Cover and shake well for 30 seconds or, if using a standing or hand-held drink mixer, process for 10 seconds to produce a thick foam.

2. Place a few ice cubes in a tall glass. Slowly pour the coffee foam into the glass. Add a splash of milk (evaporated or regular), if desired. Fill with water until the foam reaches the top of the glass. Serve with a flexible straw.s

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A frappé is nothing more complicated than instant coffee, sugar, and a small quantity of cold water shaken vigorously together to produce a thick foam, then poured over ice in a tall glass, and finally topped off with milk or water. That basic formula gets muddled not only by personal habits but also by the homespun guidelines passed on by its practitioners. Coffee and sugar are mixed by the heaping spoonful, without specifying the size of the spoon and the heap, rather than by grams or level measuring spoons. Water is dosed by finger width, without specifying whose finger, as in “pour two fingers of water into the shaker.”

It may therefore be best to describe the frappé formula in terms of volume proportions. A gliko (“sweet”) frappé, for example, is typically made with between 1 1/2 and 2 measures of sugar per 1 measure of coffee. To prepare a metrio (“medium sweet”), up to 1 measure of sugar should be mixed with 1 measure of coffee. To create a thick, creamy foam, the ideal coffee-to-water ratio is about 1 part instant coffee per 4-5 parts water.

The following recipe should be viewed as a beginning and not an end. Use it as a departure point, making adjustments according to your own tastes and moods.