Starbucks Is Rumored To Be Adding A Spicy Version Of Its Lemonade Refreshers
For foodies, springtime means fresh produce. For baristas, springtime means matcha, and Starbucks is coming out of the gates guns a-blazing. Although, not quite as "blazing" as its fans. Just yesterday, Starbucks announced a new St. Paddy's Day-themed drink, and fans have already started leaking rumors about what's next in the Starbucks new release train. If the rumors are true, these new drinks could be downright summery.
The info comes from a post on the r/starbucks subreddit, which claims that a spicy variation is coming (soon?) to the Starbucks Refreshers lineup. The post includes what appears to be a photo of a desktop computer screen, ostensibly from the Starbucks employee POS portal. In the photo are the names of three never-before-seen spice-centered drinks: the Spicy Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher, Spicy Pineapple Passionfruit Lemonade Refresher, and Spicy Strawberry Acai Lemonade Refresher. Still, at least for now, any news of the spicy lemonade Refreshers coming to menus remains purely speculative.
The beverage trio hasn't been officially announced, and fans have yet to start talking about it on other social media platforms. In a statement shared with Tasting Table, Starbucks expounded, "We're still feeling lucky and sipping on the new Luck of the Matcha Crème Frappuccino. We'll be in touch when we have details to share about new beverages at Starbucks." Always trying to stay one step ahead of the game only works if "the game" stays "over there." We haven't gotten to the spicy lemonade Refreshers yet (if at all), says Starbucks, so hold your horses.
Spicing up fan theories
Indeed, any company effort (real or hypothetical) to deter customer interest in the "new-new" drinks and keep the focus on "old-new" drinks seems understandable. Starbucks has already released two new drinks this month: the Luck of the Matcha Crème Frappuccino for St. Patrick's Day and the Iced Lavender Cream Oatmilk Matcha as part of its lavender-infused spring 2024 menu. The St. Paddy's Day-themed drink is essentially a Matcha Crème Frappuccino with caramel syrup and crunch, so fans can continue ordering it even after the March holiday season ends. Still, at least for now, the length of time between the present and spicy-lemonade-Refresher-time remains a mystery.
In the comments section of the Reddit post, some fans speculate that the release could be happening just in time for Cinco de Mayo, which could make sense considering that Starbucks is observing St. Patrick's Day this year, another "minor" calendar holiday that the coffee chain normally doesn't observe. Other commenters wonder what exactly the "spicy" ingredient will be (Tajín and sriracha are the top two contenders at the moment). Some folks even pine for the return of the Cool Lime Refresher, which Starbucks removed from menus in 2018.
This isn't the coffee giant's first foray into the realm of spiciness. Starbucks dropped a Chile Mocha in 2016 that ultimately didn't perform super well. It was avant-garde, infused with ancho chiles, and gone within a year. This time around in 2024, "swicy" is in, and the chain might find redemption with its new swicy Refreshers (assuming they're even real).