Mazagran (drink)

History and origin

It has been stated that the drink's name probably originated from a fortress named Mazagran in Algiers, Algeria which in 1837 through the Treaty of Tafna was granted to France.  At the Mazagran fortress French colonial troops consumed the beverage, which was prepared with coffee syrup and cold water. It has also been stated that the drink's name and invention may have originated from French Foreign Legion soldiers who, during the time of the siege of Mazagran, Algeria during the 1840 war,  used water in their coffee in the absence of milk or brandy and drank the beverage cold to counter the heat. Furthermore, French colonial troops near Mazagran were served a beverage prepared with coffee syrup and water. When the soldiers returned to Paris, they suggested to cafés to serve the beverage and the notion of it being served in tall glasses. Upon this introduction, the beverage was named café mazagran. In France, coffee served in glasses is referred to as "mazagrin".

Preparation and varieties

Mazagran is prepared with strong, hot coffee that is poured over ice, and it is typically served in a narrow, tall glass. It has also been described as "coffee taken with water instead of milk", in which coffee is served in a tall glass along with a separate container of water to mix in with the coffee.
The beverage has also been described as sweetened "Portuguese iced coffee" that is prepared with strong coffee or espresso served over ice with lemon. Sometimes rum is added to Portuguese versions of the drink, and it may be sweetened with sugar syrup.
In Austria, mazagran coffee is served with an ice cube and prepared with rum. The beverage is typically downed "in one gulp".
In Catalonia, it is made with ice coffee and lemon.
In the mid 1990s, Starbucks and PepsiCo developed a line of flavored carbonated mazagran beverages named "Mazagran" that were prepared with coffee. After a short trial run in California in 1994, the drink was discontinued after failing to catch on with consumers A useful new by-product of Starbucks' research and development  of mazagran was a coffee extract that could be used in various coffee-flavored products. The coffee extract was later used in the preparation of pre-mixed, bottled Starbucks' frappuccino drinks that are sold in grocery stores. The extract is also used in the company's bottled double shot and iced coffee drinks.