Starbucks Finally Adds Cortados to Its Menu
The small cup with a bold punch is a traditional drink from Spain. Here’s what’s in it.
Scott Eklund/Photo courtesy of Starbucks
Some of the most fun aspects of travel is trying regional flavors and specialties, and this is as true for coffee as it is spices or cocktails. Those who hail from Australia were excited to see Flat Whites enter the espresso beverage menu at Starbucks a few years back. Now, the global trend continues as Cortado, a traditional beverage in Spain, enters the menu just in time for the new year.
New to the Starbucks winter menu as of January 3, the Cortado is known to be a small drink that packs a bold punch. It is made with three ristretto shots of the Starbucks Blonde Espresso served hot with steamed milk in a short size (eight ounces). And that’s just what its name entails – the origin of the name comes from how steamed milk cuts through espresso. For those who are plant-based, this beverage is also available as a Brown Sugar Oatmilk Cortado. Perfect for those of us who are dragging in the new year and need a bit more spring to our 2025 step, cortados differ from lattes in that they are more coffee-forward. That’s just what many of us need right now.
While the Cortado is new to the menu, there’s long been unofficial ways of ordering it off-menu. Reddit users have employed tactics ranging from ordering a doppio espresso macchiato wet or short triple latte in order to mirror the flavor profiles, but it’s certainly easier now that this specific beverage exists on the menu in its own right.
Other items returning for the season include a Pistachio Latte and Pistachio Cream Cold Brew as well as a new certified vegan Spicy Falafel Pocket, and the returning Vanilla Bean Custard Danish.
Photo courtesy of Starbucks
For those who visit a Starbucks Reserve location, the cortado gets a bit of spicy treatment via the Hot Honey Cortado, also available beginning January 3.
These new menu additions may be just what our cold, tired bodies need going into 2025!
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