Starbucks secret menu is a secret no more.
As Food & Wine reports, the coffee giant is making it official, by finally adding its long-kept secret menu to their app. Launched in the Starbucks app on Monday, the menu will appear under the “offers” tab, starting with four new drink options: Cold Brew that tastes like cookies and cream, an upgraded Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher, Iced Black Tea Lemonade with raspberry-flavored pearls, and an Iced Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso with white chocolate mocha flavor. And Starbucks has hinted that more may be on the way.
Starbucks’ First 4 Official “Secret Menu” Items
Cookies on top: Grande Cold Brew with vanilla sweet cream cold foam, two pumps of vanilla syrup, and a cookie crumble topping.
Dragonfruit glow-up: Grande Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher with peach juice blend, blended, and finished with vanilla sweet cream cold foam.
Just add white mocha: Grande Iced Brown Sugar Oatmilk Shaken Espresso with two pumps of white chocolate mocha sauce and vanilla sweet cream cold foam.
Lemon, tea & pearls: Grande Iced Black Tea Lemonade with raspberry-flavored popping pearls.
The Secret Menu Origin Story
The Starbucks secret menu is a relic of online foodie history: It’s hard to pinpoint exactly when these off-menu customizations started making the rounds online, but it seems some bloggers were exploring Starbucks’ “secret menu” lists as early as 2011. In case you’ve been living under a rock and have never heard of the Starbucks secret menu items, read on….
The Starbucks secret menu is an informal collection of fan-made drink customizations. Countless Instagram accounts, blogs, and Reddit threads have emerged over the past decade, all carefully guiding users on how to order a Cotton Candy Frapp or a Twix Iced Mocha. (The first of these was popularized by YouTube vlogger Bethany Mota, who has 9.36 million subscribers today.) People often choose a specific mix of sweet syrups, toppings, or extra espresso shots — most of which have catchy names and decadent flavors.
In a somewhat thoughtful twist, some content creators even highlight the simplest customizations to avoid burdening an overwhelmed barista during rush hour. Starbucks’ fan-built “secret menu” has admittedly encountered some issues over the years — especially when people order off-menu without disclosing the exact drink build — but still, that hasn’t stopped recipes from circulating online.
One such platform is the @TheRealStarbucksSecretMenu, a fan-run Instagram account with nearly 32,000 followers. It’s essentially a time capsule from the mid-2010s, complete with the high-saturated Valencia filter and distinctly 2014-era memes.
Admittedly, the sugary drinks — like the Apple Pie a la Mode Frappuccino and Caramel Pumpkin Macchiato — don’t sound half-bad to those with a sweet tooth. Although it posted almost 500 recipes and memes between 2013 and 2018, it doesn’t seem to be active anymore.
Starbucks’ “secret menu” serves as a model for other chains, which have gradually adopted the trend of customization. Today, it’s simpler to request mustard on a Whopper or extra drizzle at Dunkin’.
Celebrating Fan Contributions with a “Secret Menu” Contest
Think you’ve got a winning coffee order?
This summer, the coffee giant is celebrating early fan contributions with a contest. From July 14 to July 20, visitors and employees can submit their favorite off-menu combination to the Secret Menu Contest. Starbucks HQ will select four finalists by August, each receiving $5,000 and a spot on the official Starbucks app.
After folks taste the menu, an ultimate winner will be selected through an Instagram poll. They will also win a hefty $25,000 prize, as Starbucks confirms via email.
But does the “secret menu” hold the same appeal if a restaurant labels it? After all, half the fun is feeling like you’re getting away with something. Only time will tell.
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