Starbucks’ Refreshers Just Got Hotter
We got an advance taste of all three “swicy” lemonade-based sips.
JULIA STOTZ/Photo courtesy of Starbucks
Starbucks has brought us all manner of new flavors and ingredients (pumpkin spice, olive oil, lavender) that turn our usual go-to drinks, such as coffee and tea, into … not so usual drinks. The chain has a way of turning the familiar into the unexpected, which then becomes familiar. It happens again and again.
On Tuesday, April 16, Starbucks is bringing this approach to its line of lemonade-based Refreshers — going all in on “swicy,” that trendy blend of sweet and spicy flavors.
The new line of Spicy Lemonade Refreshers beverages will “bring together the sweetness of a Starbucks Refreshers beverage, the zest of lemonade and the heat of Starbucks new Spicy Chili Powder Blend to create a deliciously refreshing sip with absolutely no chill,” the brand says in a press release.
Starbucks will also deploy the new Spicy Chili Powder Blend to offer a Spicy Cold Foam, which imbues spice into Starbucks classic cold foam and can be ordered on any drink.
The trio of Spicy Lemonade Refreshers beverages include Spicy Strawberry (“strawberry and acai shaken with ice, real strawberry pieces, lemonade and spicy chili powder blend”), Spicy Dragonfruit (“mango and … dragonfruit shaken with ice, real dragonfruit pieces, lemonade and spicy chili powder blend”), and Spicy Pineapple (“pineapple and passionfruit shaken with ice, real pineapple pieces, lemonade and spicy chili powder blend”).
Photo courtesy of Starbucks
We got an advance taste of all three new beverages, along with the new Spicy Cold Foam. The Spicy Cold Foam added some subtle heat to the vanilla cream cold brew we tried it on. Really nice.
We found the Spicy Lemonade Refreshers to be much bolder. The tartness of the drinks seems to up the ante on the spiciness, so while you start out tasting sweet, fruity, sour flavors, the heat builds up as you sip, making them more complex and quite enjoyable.
Both the beverages and the cold foam will be available at Starbucks nationwide for a very limited time, while supplies last.
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