Everything You Need To Know About Starbucks' Pink Drink
Starbucks really didn't put a huge amount of effort into coming up with a name for their Pink Drink, and yet, it's been a best-seller since it was first added to the menu in 2016. Interestingly enough, Real Simple reveals that the Pink Drink was originally a secret menu item. Unlike the constant stream of movie-of-the-month specialty fraps such as the recent Harley Quin-themed creation, though, the Pink Drink proved enduringly popular.
After a year of people coming in and pestering the baristas for this cool recipe they just found on the internet, Starbucks decided they might as well give in — and cash in — by taking credit for the drink themselves and standardizing the recipe so every employee would know how to make it. Yet another upside of adding the drink to the menu was the fact that it would allow those amongst us who are easily embarrassed (or at least lacking in sufficient chutzpah to annoy baristas) to order the drink without having to make a big production out of it.
The secret to the Pink Drink's popularity
Do you even have to ask why the Pink Drink is so popular? Duh, because it looks so pretty on Instagram. But it has its other good points, too. According to the Starbucks menu, the Pink Drink's official name is the Strawberry Açaí Refreshers® Beverage, and in addition to the two flavors that are in its name, it also contains "accents of passion fruit... combined with creamy coconut milk." A Grande version has 140 calories and 27 grams of carbs, with 2.5 grams of fat. Maybe not the healthiest drink in the world, but it's a far better bet than the similarly-pretty Strawberry Frappuccino, which compares at 370 calories, 53 carb grams and 15 fat grams.
PopSugar even shares a way you can make your Pink Drink keto-friendly — ask for it made with passion tango tea, sugar-free syrup, heavy creamer, and optional Splenda, for a drink with 123 calories, 11 grams of fat, and just 6 grams of carbohydrates.
Is the Pink Drink worth drinking?
Well, it must taste pretty good — after all, people keep ordering them even when they've maxed out on Starbucks photo ops. Real Simple's panel of testers compared the Pink Drink to "the strawberry flavoring in a strawberry milkshake, but more refreshing since it's not thick and creamy," and "a strawberry flavored energy drink with just the slightest hint of cream." While most admitted that it's not something they'd be likely to order again, they did agree that the beverage was "a fun, pretty drink for summer."
Oh, and if pink's not your thing? That's ok, Starbucks' pastel palette also includes violet, green, and golden, as well as a kind of magenta-looking Dragon Drink, so you can pick the beverage that best matches your outfit, your nails, or your living room. Sadly, though, Starbucks has yet to come up with a Blue Drink. Come on, guys, get with the program. How else are we going to make Starbucks gender reveals a thing?