Following the social media success of the Starbucks Unicorn Frappuccino, another strikingly colorful, caffeinated drink is painting the town purple and taking the internet by storm.
Mermaid Frappuccino
The purple-and-green beverage inspired by Disney's The Little Mermaid was invented by Starbucks barista and blogger Jocelyn Freeman, also known as The Modern Barista on Instagram.
Noting the drink's strong resemblance to the popular Pokémon GO Frappuccino minus the raspberry syrup, Freeman reveals the Mermaid Frappuccino is actually made with a vanilla bean base blended with freeze-dried blackberries topped with toasted coconut matcha sauce.
"I know that the secret menu can be frustrating, but these new 'Instagram ready' type of drinks are not going anywhere," Freeman told Today.
"I wanted to create a drink where there was already a button in play and a standard build. It is a Pokémon GO Frappuccino minus raspberry. It is not a difficult drink to make," she continued.
What's Next After Unicorn Frappuccino?
Freeman whipped up the magical concoction spontaneously after her location sold out of the Unicorn Frappuccinos last April. Currently, the Mermaid Frappuccino is not on the official Starbucks menu - but maybe not for long.
"Just stay tuned because we have a lot more coming," Howard Schultz, the company's former chief executive, said. Schultz believes the unicorn-themed drink, which has quickly become a social media superstar after its launch, drove "significant traffic, awareness [and] brand affinity" to the chain.
A post shared by Jócelyn Freeman (@themodernbarista) on Apr 26, 2017 at 2:38pm PDT
Found the new #MidnightMintMochaFrappuccino! Now, how to get out of this mint maze... (Available at participating stores in the US & Canada) A post shared by Starbucks Coffee ☕ (@starbucks) on May 2, 2017 at 8:03am PDT
Midnight Mint And Frappy Happy Hour
Hitting while the iron is hot, Starbucks has announced the launch of its much-awaited Frappuccino Happy Hour on May 5 until May 15. During this promo period, the leading coffee chain will slash the price of their bestselling frappuccinos in half from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m.
"We're going to bring at least one entirely new drink into Happy Hour this year that is going to be as good as Unicorn or better. And we've extended our hours this year on some other tactical things to really make sure that Happy Hour is set up for success," Starbucks CEO Kevin Johnson shared.
Johnson is referring to the latest addition to the frappe family, the Midnight Mint Mocha Frappuccino. Inspired by the viral "dark foods trend" - say, black macarons, black burgers, and charcoal ice cream - the jet black drink is made with scoops of extra-dark cocoa, mint sugar crystals, and finished with a generous heaping of whipped cream and a dusting of dark cocoa.
Joining the Midnight Mint Frappuccino is another old-time favorite that's making a comeback, the S'mores Frappuccino. These cooling drinks will be available just in time for summer.
"Mint is instantly cooling. It contrasts with the dark cocoa and whipped cream for a balanced, refreshing beverage," beverage development manager Ryan Coombes stated.
