Starbucks is well known for their frappuccinos, due to being tasty and a bit expensive. However, there are actually secret menu items which augment existing frappuccinos upon request. While these may seem beyond excessive for the classic coffee drinker, learning about these drinks can be like falling through the rabbit hole for the Starbucks enthusiast.
Biscotti Frappuccino
Next to the items using seasonal favors, this may be the most difficult secret item to purchase. Some baristas will refuse to blend a biscotti into a frappuccino because doing so is technically against company policy, as the cookie could theoretically ruin a blender. However, if you find a barista willing to comply, you must buy the biscotti separately. As pastries are actually relatively inexpensive at Starbucks, a biscotti will usually only cost an additional dollar. If your Starbucks only sells biscotti in bundles, you may want to try another secret drink instead.
Cake Batter Frappuccino
A cake batter frappuccino is made by adding vanilla bean and almond flavoring to regular vanilla frappuccino. While this may not intuitively make sense, the flavor has convinced enough people to have it’s own title. Whether it’s the power of suggestion or some interesting chemistry, cake batter isn’t the only pastry flavored frappuccino, or even the strangest.
Chocolate Cream Frappuccino
With such a regular name, it’s surprising this menu item isn’t explicitly offered. A chocolate cream frappuccino is made by merely adding chocolate syrup to a regular coffee frappuccino. Of the secret Starbucks drinks, this is one of the easiest to obtain and one of the least complicated.
Chocolate Dalmatian Frappuccino
This drink is perfect for those unable to decide between white and regular chocolate. Just as the dog is a white breed with black spots, the secret Starbucks drink adds java and chocolate chips to a white chocolate mocha frappuccino.
Chocolate Pumpkin Frappuccino
As you may be able to guess, this secret menu item may only be available seasonally, as it uses a pumpkin spice latte as a base. However, if you do find yourself in a Starbucks during the fall you can ask for a pump of chocolate syrup so you can transform your delicious drink into a liquid cop of chocolate pumpkin bread.
Coffee-based Crossovers
Regular menu items list some frappuccinos as being cream based while others as having a base in coffee. However, this is merely to create a more widely enjoyed taste and is not mandatory. Cream based frappuccinos can have a coffee base instead, something which is especially useful if you want to have extra shots of espresso in your strawberry frappuccino.
Crunch Berry Frappuccino
While Starbucks is generally considered an intellectual center for adults, one of the most popular secret drinks is the crunch berry frappuccino. Made with a cream based strawberry frappuccino with a pump of hazelnut added, the pairing may seem unlikely, but it does produce a drink which tastes similar enough to the cereal for it to earn it’s own secret name.
Nutella Frappuccino
If the crunch berry frappuccino seemed like a stretch, promising a drink tasting like nutella may seem even more difficult. However, this item can be ordered by explicitly using the secret name, or just asking the barista to add a shot of chocolate, hazelnut, and some caramel to a regular Cafe Misto. Nutella is actually made with hazelnut and chocolate, so you can imagine what a nutella frappuccino tastes like.
Raspberry Cheesecake Frappuccino
Starbucks offers a few drinks with pastry tastes, though a cheesecake beverage may be unexpected. Preparation is simple; the barista must only add a few pumps of raspberry syrup to any white chocolate mocha drink. Some people adore the flavor while others find it too strange.
Red Tux Mocha Frappuccino
A red tux mocha is a white-chocolate and chocolate mocha blended drink with a pump of raspberry syrup. Sometimes called the “bleeding penguin” by the less politically correct, it’s certainly possible that if your barista is unfamiliar with the secret lingo you may gather an odd stare or two.
Super Cream Frappuccino
Starbucks is well known for it’s delicious whipped cream, and many regular menu items are cream based, such as strawberry and vanilla frappuccinos. A super cream frappuccino is made by blending a half cup of whipped cream into any regular frappuccino. Blending this half cup into a cream based frappuccino will give the item a rich and thick consistency, but it might also make a coffee-based frappuccino more enjoyable.
Zebra or Penguin Mocha Frappuccino
This drink is called by either name, so it’s possible your barista may be familiar with one and not the other. Like both names imply, it is a combination of white-chocolate and chocolate mocha frappuccinos. Some find the titles a clever allusion to Starbucks’ interest in wildlife conservation while others could not find it any more irrelevant.
WORKS CITED
personal experience
