Sometimes a fast version is achieved by pouring a previously sweetened espresso in a cup with ice cubes and a slice of lemon.

[1] At the Mazagran fortress French colonial troops consumed the beverage, which was prepared with coffee syrup and cold water.

[2] It has also been stated that the drink's name and invention may have originated from French Foreign Legion soldiers[4] who, during the time of the siege of Mazagran, Algeria during the 1840 war,[5] used water in their coffee in the absence of milk or brandy and drank the beverage cold to counter the heat.

[7] Mazagran is prepared with strong, hot coffee that is poured over ice, and it is typically served in a narrow, tall glass.

[11] The coffee extract was later used in the preparation of pre-mixed, bottled Starbucks' frappuccino drinks that are sold in grocery stores.