Opinion: The Starbucks Pink Drink is the new black coffee

Sarah Upton
Thu, 30 Mar 2017 01:27:58 +0000
Arts & Life, Dining, best coffee, Best of OSU, Starbucks, the pink drink

The pink drink is a secret menu item at Starbucks. Credit: Sarah Upton | Lantern Reporter

Starbucks won Best Coffee in The Lantern’s Best of OSU 2017 survey.

I remember the day like it was yesterday: the first time I ever ordered the notorious Pink Drink from Starbucks. I had seen one of those click bait Facebook posts that boasted “Starbucks’ SECRET MENU!” and of course, since I was Starbucks obsessed at the time, I was just dying to see what was on it. Enter the Pink Drink, a beautiful concoction of Starbucks’ Strawberry Acai Refresher combined with coconut milk and just a touch of sliced strawberries.

The next time I went to Starbucks I ordered the mystical Pink Drink – only after rehearsing a few times as not to seem basic. I wanted to pretend that I had been ordering this for years, and hoped the beaming barista in front of me would understand the words coming out of my mouth. He grabbed a cup, asked my name, and told the girl working next to him “I need a Strawberry Acai Refresher, add coconut milk.” I was in.

The simple name does the sweet, iced elixir no justice, for this is no ordinary drink. This is the drink of goddesses, of island fairies, of tropical muses. This is a drink that tastes as good as it looks. The combination of coconut milk and strawberry-acai mixture, plus the fruit forms what looks and tastes like strawberry Creme Savers candy incarnate. The coconut milk takes away a bit of the watery flavor in the fruit drink and replaces it with a beautifully smooth taste. If you’re longing for summer, the Pink Drink will send you there with just one sip.