Starbucks unveils changes to its menu for summer - here are the new food and drink options

Starbucks has released its summer menu with new food and drink options and a classic beverage that has returned.

The coffee company is kicking off the summer season Tuesday with a variety of limited-time menu items.

There will be a new iced espresso drink for caffeine lovers looking for a more exotic vibe. The Iced Horchata Oat Milk Shaken Espresso is inspired by a “popular and beloved” Latin American drink, Starbucks said in a press release issued Monday.

The drink features Starbucks Blonde Espresso, oat milk and horchata flavored syrup.

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The “light, smooth and subtly sweet” espresso is paired with a “fusion of warm cinnamon, sweet vanilla and subtle nutty notes reminiscent of the rice milk that makes up a traditional horchata,” the company noted in announcing the new drink.

Beverage developer Ricky Gonzalez, who helped bring the concept to life, painted a picture of the sweet and refreshing drink he was treated to as a kid.

“In the central California neighborhood where I grew up, horchata was everywhere—on street corners, in convenience stores, and on the menu at most Mexican restaurants we visited,” he said.

Gonzalez continued: “Every Sunday, we would have a family meal at a Mexican restaurant, and horchata was always a treat for my brother and me. It was icy, sweet, and spiced with cinnamon. It’s both comforting and refreshing.”

If you are not much of a coffee drinker but enjoy a nice cool drink, you may be happy to hear that the Summer-Berry Refresher is back this summer at Starbucks.

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The Summer-Berry Refresher, which was first introduced last summer, features “a sweet and summery blend of raspberry, blueberry and blackberry flavors shaken with ice and water.” The fruity mixture is then poured over raspberry-flavored pearls.

Customers can enjoy the berry beverage with lemonade by ordering a Summer-Berry Lemonade Refresher or coconut milk in the Summer Skies Drink.

There’s also a new cake pop featuring a summer staple on the Starbucks limited-time menu.

The Strawberries & Cream Cake Pop features strawberry cream cake mixed with buttercream and formed into a strawberry shape. The cake pop is dipped in a chocolate icing and decorated to resemble a juicy red strawberry.