The thing about the Starbucks secret menu is that it doesn't actually exist.
That means that when you place your order for an off-the-menu beverage, you'd better
be able to tell your barista exactly how it's made.
Here's how to order all those secret menu drinks the right way.
People have said for a long, long time that the first bite is with the eye.
When something looks good, someone will often think it tastes even better.
So it's not entirely surprising that Instagram has kicked off a whole new trend in food of
sharing pretty things as well as eating them.
"I really wish I'd taken more pictures of my lunch and put them online."
Scroll through any foodie's feed, and you'll probably find the simply but aptly-named Purple
Drink featured at some point.
Want to know how to order your own?
It's fairly simple, says Glamour: Just ask for a blend of passion iced tea, soy milk,
and vanilla syrup.
That's over ice, of course, and then?
Add whatever berries you'd like, and don't forget the clear cup for the Instagram shot.
According to PBS, coffee became the go-to drink in America not long after the Boston
Tea Party, when Americans turned their collective backs on brewing leaves and went for the brewed
beans instead.
It'd be fascinating to hear what those 18th-century coffee drinkers would have thought about the
Pink Drink.
It's actually a take on Starbucks' Strawberry Acai Refresher.
Glamour says that if you want to drink this one, you'll want to order the Refresher but
ask for coconut milk instead of water.
Then, top it with strawberries or blackberries, and you'll have the ultimate coffee drink
for Instagram.
Bonus?
It still packs a caffeinated punch, and it's actually pretty easy for customers to double
down on this one.
Instagrammer nonstopeats points out that if you ask your barista to first mix up a Pink
Drink and fill the cup just halfway, then mix up a Purple Drink and pour it on top,
you'll get a super fruity, two-toned Pink-Purple Drink that looks as good as it tastes.
Looking for something bright and sunny, cold and refreshing?
It doesn't matter if you're celebrating a return of summer or trying to fight off depths-of-winter
seasonal depression, Starbucks has you covered, as long as you know the right way to ask for
the Orange Drink.
It's another one of the rainbow drinks that showed up on Instagram and caused a major
fuss, and it's not just another pretty drink.
It's also delicious.
It's super easy to get, too, according to Seventeen.
All you need to do is order a blend of orange mango juice, coconut milk, and two scoops
of powdered vanilla bean flavoring.
Have them pour all that over ice, and then be sure you get your lighting right when you
take your pictures for all your social media accounts.
But most importantly of all, don't forget to have fun while you're getting your orange
on.
Once Instagrammers realized colorful Starbucks drinks made for some pretty cool photos, they
came up with drinks for just about every hue of the rainbow.
The Green Drink might not look as flashy, as funky, or as unnatural as its pink, purple,
and orange counterparts, but it's worth mentioning just how you can order this concoction for
one simple reason.
If you're looking for something that's nowhere near as super-sweet as some of Starbucks'
drinks tend to be, this is the one for you.
Bustle says that it starts with a Shaken Iced Black Tea, but be sure to ask your barista
to make it with coconut milk.
Then add matcha.
It's cold, refreshing, caffeinated, and it looks cool.
It doesn't come with a mind-numbing amount of sweetness, either.
A lot of Starbucks' drinks aren't really good for you.
Just take a Grande Strawberry Frappuccino Blended Beverage Creme.
At 54 grams of sugar, it's well over the limit that the American Heart Association recommends
for an entire day.
So any drink you're going to be building around this base isn't going to be doing your waistline
any favors.
Of course, sometimes, you just need to treat yourself.
"Treat yourself."
If it's one of those days, how about treating yourself to one of the Banana Split Frappuccinos
making the rounds on Instagram?
Start with a Strawberry Frappuccino, then ask for a few adjustments.
Add a scoop of vanilla bean powder, some java chips, and a whole banana.
Then top the whole thing with whipped cream and a drizzle of both mocha and caramel, and
there you have it: a banana split in a cup.
Starbucks' logo is a two-tailed mermaid, so of course there's a Mermaid Frappuccino.
This one's a bit of an oddity, in that its creator can be identified and credited.
Cosmopolitan says the credit goes to a Starbucks barista who also blogs as The Modern Barista.
It's also pretty complicated, as drinks go, and it's time-consuming to make.
So please think of the people in line behind you, and remember to tip your barista really
well for this one.
Start with a Grande Vanilla Bean Frappuccino, then add three scoops of blackberry inclusions.
The complicated part is the drizzle: It's three pumps of toasted coconut, eight pumps
of white mocha, and three scoops of matcha powder.
Be sure to ask for it drizzled along the inside of the cup to give it that funky green and
purple tie-dye look and its unique vanilla/blackberry/matcha flavor.
Pumpkin spice lattes are a sure sign summer is over and autumn is looming.
They're everywhere for a few months, so they can be a bit of a love or hate thing.
Even if you love them, you've probably gotten to the point where you just need to mix it
up a little, so how about asking for the secret Iced Caramel Pumpkin Macchiato?
Cosmopolitan says it's actually surprisingly easy to make: Just order an Iced Caramel Macchiato,
and replace the vanilla syrup with pumpkin spice syrup.
If that's not enough pumpkin flavor, ask for a sprinkling of pumpkin spice, too.
Easy, delicious, and very Instagrammable.
It's a win all around.
Just remember that you can only order this one when Starbucks has their pumpkin spice
latte ingredients on hand.
Love Harry Potter?
Next time you want to do something special for yourself or the fan in your life, just
head to Starbucks for a drink plucked right from the novels.
According to the Independent, there's no official word on just what butterbeer tastes like,
but you can guess.
For a Butterbeer Latte, order a whole milk steamer with two shots of espresso, then add
three shots each of cinnamon dolce syrup and toffee nut syrup, two shots of caramel syrup,
then whipped cream and caramel crumbs on top to finish off this high-calorie, high-sugar
treat.
There's a Butterbeer Frappuccino, too.
Just start with a Grande Creme Frappuccino, then add three pumps each of caramel syrup
and toffee nut syrup.
Feel free to add some cinnamon dolce syrup, too.
There's no wrong way to make a fictional drink.
"If they can do it, why not us?"
According to Mission Chocolate, Mexican hot chocolate is a tradition dating back around
4,000 years to the Aztecs and the Maya.
It's a little different today than it once was.
The modern version that's often made for special holidays is a sort of spicy, frothy drinking
chocolate made with ground cacao, sugar, cinnamon, and sometimes chile.
Cosmopolitan reports that you can absolutely order it from Starbucks.
Start with a hot chocolate, but ask for soy milk and no water.
Add two pumps each of both mocha syrup and white mocha syrup for a venti, then four pumps
of cinnamon dolce syrup.
Don't forget to ask for some cinnamon powder in the milk while it's being steamed.
The beauty of this one is that it's the perfect drink not just for the holidays, but for any
chilly night, especially when you're sick and tired of more traditional wintertime flavors.
One of the best things about being a kid was all the fun cereals with chocolate and marshmallows
that didn't actually taste like marshmallows, and all kinds of shapes that definitely weren't
flakes.
If you were a fan of Cinnamon Toast Crunch in particular, then there's a secret menu
item you have to order next time you head to Starbucks.
The Radio Station 97 ZOK says the key is to start with a White Mocha Frappuccino, and
ask if your barista can add both cinnamon dolce syrup and hazelnut syrup.
Request two pumps of each if you're getting a venti.
Then, ask the barista to blend cinnamon sugar into the drink, then top it with whipped cream
and another sprinkle of that same cinnamon sugar.
We're not responsible if you suddenly have the urge to spend all day watching cartoons
after drinking this delicious frap.
Not a Cinnamon Toast Crunch fan but still looking for some cereal nostalgia?
Next time you head to Starbucks and you're in need of a little escape from the realities
of the grown-up world, order up a Fruity Pebbles Frappuccino.
Make Drinks says you'll need to start with a Strawberries and Creme Frappuccino, then
ask your barista to add one pump of classic syrup, one pump of raspberry syrup, two-and-a-half
pumps vanilla syrup, and a dash of orange mango juice.
Don't forget to ask them to top the whole thing with whipped cream, because you absolutely
deserve it.
Just don't let Barney steal it away from you.
Redditors say it's sometimes called Liquid Cocaine and sometimes it's called White Lightning.
Whatever you call it, it's going to deliver a serious burst of caffeine.
Don't say you haven't been warned.
There are a few different ways baristas say they've made this one.
The most basic way is to request four shots of espresso over ice with a few shots of white
mocha.
A few others suggest topping it with whipped cream or adding a few more espresso shots.
Others add that there's actually a precedent for the drink, and say that it's based on
a Vietnamese drink called ca phe sua da.
It's super easy to make the traditional way, as Nespresso says it's just some super strong
coffee over ice with a burst of sweetness from condensed milk.
Cadbury Creme Eggs are delicious.
The only bad thing about them is that you can only get them at certain times of the
year, and stockpiling them never, ever works.
They're great plain, in ice cream, wrapped in a roulade, baked into shortbread, and in
Frappuccino form.
The bonus to this one is that you can order it any time of the year.
You're not actually going to be using any Cadbury Creme Eggs, just recreating that oh-so-distinctive
flavor.
According to the Telegraph, it's pretty easy, too.
Just start with a Java Chip Frappuccino, then ask your barista to add a few shots of espresso,
a scoop of vanilla bean powder, and a few pumps of both vanilla syrup and caramel syrup.
It's chocolatey, it's sweet, and it's got that unmistakable vanilla-caramel flavor.
It's especially handy in around November, when Cadbury Creme Egg season seems ages away.
If you're in the mood for something that's hot, flavorful, and sweeter than you typically
expect a cup of Earl Grey to be, the Telegraph suggests ordering a tea-based secret menu
item called London Fog.
Start with an Earl Grey Misto, which comes with steamed milk, then add two pumps of vanilla
syrup.
That's it.
Once you try this, you'll never opt for sugar in your tea ever again.
Best of all, you can also use different kinds of syrup.
The Telegraph suggests using two pumps of caramel, which might make tea a legitimate
choice for even the biggest coffee-drinker.
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