The Zombie-Themed Starbucks Frappuccino You Forgot Existed
There's no doubt that Starbucks takes it upon itself to unofficially announce the changing of seasons and the oncoming of new holidays. Whether it's refreshing summer menus, iconic Christmas cups, or limited edition Pumpkin Spice Lattes (which are already out in case you didn't already know), Starbucks says it's time to celebrate a new season with a seasonal menu and everyone readily does so.
The coffee chain takes any chance that it can get to give its beverages a colorful spin and what better holiday to get creative with beverages than during Halloween? Starbucks has been releasing a weeklong limited-edition Halloween menu since 2014 (via the Starbucks website). The trend began with a Franken Frappuccino, a green tea Frap with white chocolate sauce, mocha drizzle, and java chips (via HuffPost). The chain then released the Frappula Frappuccino for two consecutive Halloweens, a white chocolate and milk-based drink with a touch of spooky red from its strawberry puree.
But there's one Halloween drink that Starbucks fans have probably forgotten all about — a zombie-themed Frappuccino that was available for one week only in 2017.
Starbucks' Zombie Frappuccino had a 'brain' made of pink-colored whipped cream
After the success of the Franken and Frappula Frappuccinos, Starbucks decided that it was time to add another monster to its Halloween drink party. The Zombie Frappuccino debuted in 2017 and according to the Starbucks website, it used to be a green-colored drink. The green color came from apple tart and caramel-infused Frappuccino Creme, which was then topped with a swirl of pink-colored whipped cream and a red mocha drizzle to represent ghastly brains with blood oozing out.
The Zombie Frap was available in the United States and Canada from October 26 leading up to Halloween and sold for somewhere between $4.75-$4.95. The taste of the drink was inspired by caramel apples and that's exactly what the spooky Frap tasted like: "tart green apple favor balanced with a smooth, sweet caramel."
Although the chain's Halloween drinks were a hit amongst fans, with another purple-colored Witch's Brew Frappuccino (it was reportedly a blend of Starbucks' version of "toad's breath," "bat warts," and "lizard scale") out in 2018, the coffee giant hasn't released a Halloween menu since. According to Thrillist, the discontinuation of Halloween drinks since 2019 might have to do with just how complicated the drinks were to make and the chain's plan to curb drink modifications. Sadly for Halloween fans, Starbucks has no plans of bringing back Halloween-themed drinks as of now.