You guys. Don't freak out, but… deep-fried Starbucks is a thing. It is a real thing that actually exists in the world, and I… don't really know what to do with it. Does it mean that we've reached peak coffee in general? Peak Starbucks in particular? Peak fried things? Peak all of the above, plus a whole 'nother level of peak-ness achieved by the fact that “deep-fried Starbucks” looks like the most caffeinated donut on which I've ever laid eyes? You be the judge. In any event, the folks at Foodbeast are the ones that brought this complex and confusing creation to our collective attention, so let's all thank them for blowing our minds.
I'll be honest: The sentence “Let's get a Starbucks” has never made much sense to me. “Starbucks” isn't another word for coffee; it's a place you can go in order to acquire coffee. Although it's not unheard of for brand names to become synonymous with particular objects — Kleenex, for example, or Xerox — I don't think we've quite gotten there with Starbucks yet. Also coffee has been around for much longer than either paper tissues or photocopying machines have, so I'm kind of hopeful that coffee remains… well, coffee. So, for this reason, I feel that the phrase “deep-fried Starbucks” is perhaps a tiny bit nonsensical.
BUT.
(You knew there was a “but” coming, right?)
There's no denying that “deep-fried Starbucks” is a way better way to market something like this than plain ol' deep-fried coffee. Foodbeast found it at the Bacon-A-Fair booth at the San Diego State Fair; from what I can see, it consists of ground coffee surrounded by dough, deep-fried, rolled in sugar, and topped with a dollop of whipped cream. Here's what it looks like when it's in the process of being devoured:
Soooo... yeah. There's that.
Interestingly, though, this isn't the only time someone has deep-fried a beverage (as counter-intuitive as the phrase “deep-fried beverage” is). Check out these other options:
1. Deep-Fried Pumpkin Spice Latte
Oh Bite It! introduced us to this one during PSL season last fall. Unlike deep-fried Starbucks, it's not dough filled with ground coffee; rather, it's PSL-soaked pound cake, which is then given a quick bath in boiling oil.
2. Deep-Fried Beer
There are a couple of ways to deep fry beer; the Texas State Fair's version looks kind of like a ravioli, but you can apparently also make some kind of wacky concoction with golden syrup, too.
3. Deep-Fried Kool-Aid
This one is kind of a cheat — it's basically just a donut with Kool-Aid in the dough — but, well… deep-fried Kool-Aid, you guys.
4. Deep-Fried Sweet Tea
This one actually sounds pretty tasty: According to People's Great Ideas, it's made by blending sweet tea into custard; then it's given a graham cracker crust and dropped in the fryer.
5. Deep-Fried Jack Daniels
Another Bacon-A-Fair creation, this one isn't exactly straight fried liquor; Foodbeast described it as a “Jack Daniels-infused churro.” Mmmm. Churros.
6. Deep-Fried Soda
Food Republic used Coke in their recipe, but you can probably sub in your favorite fizzy beverage and come up with something more tailored to your particular tastes.
7. Deep-Fried Baconnaise
Baconnaise isn't really a beverage; it is, however, still liquid-y enough to pose a unique challenge. Good thing Dude Foods figured out how to fry for us, right?
Images: Nicola since 1972/Flickr; Giphy (7)
