We Asked Starbucks Employees to Make Their Craziest, Personal Drinks
If you ask your local Starbucks barista to surprise you with a drink you’ve never heard of, cross your fingers that you get a “challenge accepted.”
We asked a few different Starbucks baristas in Santa Ana, Calif. to surprise us recently and the results were beautiful. They mixed and matched, added pastries, and let their imaginations run wild. And while there’s a greater chance the Foodbeast staff will get diabetes now, it is not in vain as we got some beautiful coffee porn to share with the world.
Keep in mind, these are super customized drinks and unless you’re really cool with your barista, you’ll have a hard time convincing them to try and make these specific drinks. Prices vary since these are totally made up creations, but they’re a rough estimate of what you might expect if you actually tried to order drinks like this.
So feast your eyes on these sugary creations and enjoy the caffeine buzz.
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L.A. Smog
This one was made by an L.A. transplant who said it’s inspired by the gorgeous view of the smoggy Los Angeles sky. It might sound weird but its contents are delicious. Of all the drinks, this one is one of the more realistic ones to ask for. The ingredients are pretty standard, but when put together, can make even the smoggiest of days more bearable.
- Green Tea Frappuccino
- One pump of Mocha (Extra $.60)
- Java Chips (Extra $.50)
- One shot of espresso (Extra $.80)
- Italian drizzle
- Espresso Whip
Total: About $6.35, Grande
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Neapolitan Frap
This one has a classic Neapolitan look with three different flavors infused into one drink. The thickness of each Frap gives it an interesting triple-threat taste as you can drink from the bottom for a strawberry taste, drink from the middle for a chocolaty taste, or drink from the top for a vanilla taste.
- Strawberries & Creme Frappuccino
- Java Chip (Extra $50)
- Vanilla Bean Frappuccino (Extra $.50)
- Raw sugar sprinkled over the top
Total: About $5.45, Grande
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The Orange County Dream
This creamsicle-like Frap has been seen by the public before, however, some tweaks have been made and this Orange County inspired drink has been perfected.
- Vanilla Bean Frappuccino
- Valencia Orange Refresher
- Whipped cream
Total: About $4.25, Grande
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The Mexican Flag Frap
In a perfect world, the Strawberries & Creme Frap in this drink would be red, but you get the idea. A mix of red (pink), white and green in this Mexican flag inspired drink takes you through three different sensations, similar to the Neapolitan Frappuccino above.
- Vanilla Bean Frappuccino
- Strawberries & Creme (Extra $.50)
- Green Tea (Extra $.50)
Total: About $5.55, Grande
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The Blueberry Breakfast Shake
This one is an ultra secret item, so much so, that until we got hold of it, it had never touched the lips of non-Starbucks employee. Behold the Blueberry Breakfast Shake. Yes, that is a blueberry muffin top gracing the top of this beauty. It is a Soy Vanilla Bean Frappuccino, blended with a whole blueberry muffin and topped with fresh blueberries. It tastes as amazing as it sounds and actually didn’t feel too heavy. Technically, they’re not allowed to blend muffins, so of all the drinks on this list, this one might be the one voted, “Most Likely to be an Unattainable Import Model.”
- Soy Vanilla Bean Frappuccino
- Blueberry muffin (Extra $2.25)
- Fresh blueberries (Extra $1)
Total: About $6.75, Grande
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Apple Pie Frap
It was freaky how much this one tasted like an apple pie. It was reminiscent of dessert time at Thanksgiving. I’m 72 percent sure this caramel and apple pairing was what the American dream was built on.
- Half and Half
- Apple Juice
- Cinnamon Dolce Caramel
- Whipped Cream
- Extra Caramel
- Cinnamon Dolce Powder
Total: About $4.35, Grande
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Strawberry Shortbread Crumble
This Frap was made up on-the-spot. It’s just a Strawberries & Creme Frap blended with their shortbread cookies and topped with dried fruit. Again, they’re technically not allowed to blend their cookies, but if you’re slick enough to convince them to, it makes the Strawberries & Creme Frap so much better.
- Strawberries & Creme Frappuccino
- Shortbread Cookies (Extra $1.50)
- Dried Strawberry Fruit Inclusion (Extra $.50)
Total: About $6.45, Grande
Photos by Peter Pham