Starbucks Pink Drink Recipe

What is a Pink Drink?

The Starbucks version of the regular pink drink consisted of a strawberry acai refresher base drink with freeze-dried strawberries and coconut milk. According to the Starbucks website, the strawberry acai base is mainly made of white grape juice, green coffee flavor, other types of juice, and a form of stevia sweetener.

Since the pink drink isn’t really a new drink anymore, my local Starbucks does not currently have it on their menu. So, I’m forced to order from the “Starbucks secret menu” – where you have to order each ingredient to make a custom drink.

When I order my pink drink at Starbucks, I ask for a base of iced passion tango tea (sometimes unsweetened or with a touch of syrup or stevia) along with vanilla sweet cream cold foam or a splash of coconut milk.

When I make a pink drink at home, I like to use coconut milk as my “cream” so that it still has some elements of the original. The tea I use to make my pink drink also makes for a delicious Hibiscus Margarita!

Ingredient Notes

Tazo passion herbal tea: If you can’t find the Tazo Passion Tea, they do sell it on Amazon. I used the loose leaf version of the tea, but I believe that has been discontinued. They do now have an already brewed version if you want to skip the brewing part altogether! It’s also unsweetened so you can still tailor the drink to your preferences. Regular hibiscus tea can work here too.

Honey: This is optional, so you can leave it out altogether or you can choose your favorite sweetener of choice – simple syrup, agave nectar, stevia, regular sugar, etc.

Sliced strawberries: I used fresh strawberries in this recipe because I like them better than freeze-dried ones. And also, freeze-dried strawberries are pretty expensive compared to fresh!

Coconut milk: I used this for my vanilla cold foam. I will say it’s not quite as foamy as regular cold foam. This is because cold foam is best made with fat-free milk, and coconut milk has some fat, which weighs down the foam a little bit.

Vanilla extract: Just make sure it’s 100% real vanilla extract. You can also use vanilla paste instead if you have that handy. You can also use a pump or two of vanilla syrup if you prefer.

How to Make a Cold Foam Without a Frothing Wand

If you don’t have an electric frothing wand and don’t want to purchase one, you can use any of the following methods to make cold foam:

Glass jar method: Fill a jar halfway with cold milk. Seal tightly. Shake vigorously for about 30 seconds to a minute or until you see the desired frothiness. You are looking for soft peaks of foam to form.

French press method: The French press isn’t just for making coffee! Add your cold milk to an empty French press and plunge the press using short, quick plunges into the milk. Work on it for about 30 seconds or until you see increasing frothiness.

Hand mixer/whisk: Use a hand mixer or a whisk in a bowl. Whisk briskly until the milk is frothy and has increased in volume, about 1-2 minutes.

Blender or immersion blender: Pour cold milk into a blender. Blend on medium-high speed for about 30 seconds or until the milk is frothy and aerated.

Or use an immersion blender, by placing the cold milk in a deep bowl or tall glass. Move the immersion blender up and down, until the milk is frothy and has doubled in volume, about 30-60 seconds.