Varieties and Definitions: Frappé

Frappé is the past participle of the French word frapper, meaning “to strike or to beat.” It is so named with good reason, because a frappé is a combination of a fruit sorbet and another liquid or dairy product that is mixed in a blender until it obtains a slush-like consistency. The liquid can be flavored or infused water, a fruit or vegetable juice, soy milk, wine, or liqueur. If dairy is being used, it should be low-fat or fat-free milk or fat-free yogurt, because if there is a significant amount of fat present, it will seize as it is processed in the blender due to the friction of the blade. The proportion of sorbet to the added liquid or dairy product is not written in stone, but there should be a majority of sorbet in the finished product.