What Vecna Was Really Drinking In That Stranger Things Starbucks Meme
If you stood in line at Starbucks this November, you may have heard a Taylor Swift fan (perhaps it was you?) order an off-menu beverage called "Taylor's Version," also known as Taylor Swift's go-to Starbucks order: a grande latte with four pumps of caramel syrup and nonfat milk. Stans love to feel close to the objects of their admiration by whatever means possible, and sipping their favorite star's favorite beverage can feel like a special kind of connection — especially when it's likely to taste exactly the same as the version the star drinks, by virtue of the corporate coffee chain's analogous brewing process.
Oprah Winfrey fans might opt for a Teavana cinnamon chai latte, while Lady Gaga's "Little Monsters" might go for a matcha lemonade, and #FreeBritney vets might choose a Passion Tango tea, via Eat This, Not That. And thanks to a behind-the-scenes video shared by Netflix, fans of sci-fi hit "Stranger Things" can start the day at Starbucks the same way as Jamie Campbell Bower, who plays the key antagonist Vecna in the show's latest season.
A Venti salted caramel cream cold brew with extra foam, AKA the 'Vecna'
The behind-the-scenes video shows Jamie Campbell Bower being transformed into Vecna, the murderous tree-like creature who prowls the Upside Down in the 4th season of "Stranger Things." Played at fast-forward speed, the video shows Bower sitting patiently through what looks like a tedious prosthetic-application process while dramatic choral music plays in the background. He stares into the distance (possibly contemplating the backstory that led his character to be filled with such rage), he chats on the phone, and, most importantly, he takes many sips of a mysterious Starbucks drink.
In an Instagram Live Q&A on Thursday, Terri Schwartz of Netflix Geeked asked Bower what fans who saw the aforementioned video were dying to know: What was inside that Starbucks cup? "It's a Venti salted caramel cream cold brew with extra foam," he said, "otherwise known as the Vecna." There you have it, folks. The "savory-meets-sweet" beverage, which features the coffee giant's signature cold brew sweetened with "a touch of caramel and topped with a salted, rich cold foam," per Starbucks, is what gets the psychokinetic villain going in the morning.