Pink drinks hit different at Starbucks in Japan

We’ll get our pink drinks whatever way we can have them. 

While people overseas have been raving about the pink drinks sold at Starbucks, the chain is yet to give its customers in Japan a taste of the elusive beverage.

We can’t really complain, because let’s face it — Starbucks has given us a lot of pink-coloured drinks in the past. However, every time we see the colour adorning a new release at the chain, we can’t help but wonder if it’ll taste anything like the pink drinks overseas.

So when our Japanese-language reporter Punico Ninoude heard Starbucks would be bringing its Strawberry Frappuccino back to the menu this year, she set out to see if it would alleviate her pink drink cravings.

▼ Released on 11 May, the new drink is priced at 660 yen (US$5.12).

Sure, it’s got a mound of cream on top, like a regular Frappuccino, but there’s no denying this drink is pink. Its marbled pattern was a beautiful sight to behold, and the way the strawberry sauce gathered at the base of the drink promised to treat the taste buds to bagfuls of sweet and fruity flavour.

Leonardo Da Vinci once said “Simplicity is the ultimate sophistication“, and that’s definitely the case with this new beverage. The simple flavour of milk and strawberries is the star of the show here, blended with finesse to produce a drink that made Punico swoon at first sip.

It was tart yet sweet at the same time, and one of the best things about it was how it offered variations in flavour depending on where you sipped the drink — the soft pink areas delivered a creamy fruitiness, while the darker areas provided a more intense hit of fruit, with the milky notes playing a quieter melody in the background.

If you think about it, the only major components missing from this drink to make it taste like the pink drinks overseas are coconut milk and acai, or just acai if you take out the fact that both drinks contain milk.

That’s not too much of a difference for a pink drink lover like Punico, so next time she has a craving for a taste of pink, she plans to get another one of these, and maybe then she’ll add some acai to it to see if it adds the extra oomph it needs to truly replicate the drink.

Still, whether or not you’re into pink drinks, this Strawberry Frappuccino will definitely keep your taste buds happy…until the chocolate version arrives in stores on 20 May!

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