Just because Starbucks' wildly-popular Unicorn Frappuccino is now officially extinct, it doesn’t mean sugar-loving fans of fantasy will have to settle for a boring, old vanilla frapp these days.
In an effort to appease the hordes of disappointed customers upset with the Unicorn Frappuccino’s short-lived reign – it was only offered from April 19-23 in Canada and the U.S. – creative Starbucks baristas have been concocting their own colourful, themed beverages to keep the seemingly-endless trend going.
Introducing the “Mermaid Frappuccino” and the “Dragon Frappuccino.”
In the last week since the Unicorn Frappucino delighted (or disgusted) its last customers, images of green and purple/pink blended beverages have been popping up all over social media.
The invention of the mermaid Frappuccino is being credited to a blogger and Starbucks barista in Bay City, Mich. who uploaded a photo to her Instagram account of three pink and green drinks with the caption: “Step aside #unicornfrappuccino, meet the #mermaidfrappucino.”
Jocelyn Freeman, also known by her handle @themodernbarista, wrote that she and her coworkers improvised after their Starbucks location ran out of the Unicorn Frappuccino ingredients on the first day it was made available.
She describes the Mermaid Frappuccino as nearly the same as the “Pokémon Go Frappuccino,” introduced by Starbucks for a limited-time only in December, with a few changes.
According to the Starbucks website, the Pokémon Go Frappuccino was made with a vanilla bean base, with raspberry syrup blended in, freeze-dried blackberries and whipped cream.
Freeman said the mermaid version removes the raspberry syrup and is drizzled with a “toasted coconut matcha sauce” instead.
The Dragon Frappuccino’s origins are less clear as photos of the predominately green beverage have been snapped at a number of different Starbucks locations throughout the U.S.
There does appear to be a general consensus, however, on the drink’s predecessor. Customers posting images of the fearsome Dragon Frappuccino have come to the conclusion that it’s a Green Tea Frappuccino with vanilla bean powder and some kind of berry syrup swirled in.
If you missed out on the Unicorn Frappuccino craze and are tempted by these latest incarnations, Starbucks customers recommend just asking your barista for one of the customized drinks – just make sure to tell them which ingredients are involved.
What’s next? A Fairy Frappuccino? Or maybe, even a Loch Ness Monster Frappuccino?
