My immediate reaction upon hearing about the announcement of a new Starbucks drink is pretty much always, “OOOO WHAT’S IN IT?” If you, too,harbor an insatiable need to dissect the ingredients list of your favorite coffee concoctions, good news: I can now tell you exactly what’s in the Starbucks Horchata Almondmilk Frappuccino. And even better news is the fact that this one sounds like everything I have ever dreamed of. Cinnamon? Check. Creamy deliciousness? Check. Looks like I know what I’m doing on my lunch break today.
The Starbucks Horchata Almondmilk Frappuccino arrives at participating Starbucks stores in the United States and Canada on Aug. 8 (which, incidentally, is today. Hoorah!). The perfect end-of-summer treat, it accomplishes the difficult-to-handle feat of straddling the gap between summer and fall; indeed, as the drink’s fact sheet puts it, “The creamy and cool texture — ideal for warm August days — is complemented by sweet caramel and warm spice flavors of cinnamon which hint that fall is near.” Yes, please.
But how much like actual horchata is it? It’s similar, but not quite the same. Although horchata can be made a variety of different ways (what it’s like depends on whether you’re in Spain or Latin America — and if you’re in Latin America, it further depends on which specific country you’rein), Starbucks’ riff on the drink is probably closest to the version you’ll find in Mexico: There, it’s rice-based and served with vanilla and cinnamon. It’s best enjoyed chilled, ideally poured over ice.
Again, though, Sbux’s version is yet another variation on the theme. Here’s what you can expect to find in the Starbucks Horchata Almondmilk Frappuccino:
1
Almondmilk
There’s no rice in Starbucks’ take on horchata, but almondmilk tastes pretty similar. The mighty ‘Bux began offering this dairy-free milk alternative in September of 2016 — and yes, it’s “almondmilk,” not “almond milk.” The industry standard stylization for non-dairy milks is apparently one word.
2
Cinnamon Dolce Syrup
Cinnamon dolce is one of the most versatile flavored syrups Starbucks has in its arsenal; it can be found in everything from the Snickerdoodle Hot Cocoa offered during the 2016 winter holiday season to this past February’s Iced Cinnamon Almondmilk Macchiato. Given that cinnamon is such a huge part of the horchata flavor profile, it’s only to be expected that it would wind up in this new treat, too.
3
Coffee
Some of Starbucks’ Frappuccinos are coffee-less. This is not one of them. For the curious, the coffee in a 12-ounce Tall Horchata Almondmilk Frapp lends the drink about 70mg of caffeine.
5
Whipped Cream
I mean, you could order it without the whip… but why on earth would you deprive yourself of that magnificent source of joy?
6
Caramel
More specifically, a lovely little ribbon of caramel swirled across the top of the whipped cream. Yum.
7
Cinnamon And Sugar Sprinkles
Finishing off the drink is a very literal interpretation of the phrase “sugar and spice and everything nice” (but without the weird and unnecessary gendered overtones).
The Starbucks Horchata Almondmilk Frappuccino is available at participating Starbucks locations in the United States and Canada for a limited time starting today, Aug. 8. Happy end-of-summer!
