One of the most exciting things about coffee giant Starbucks' (SBUX) highly-customizable drink experience has got to be the rise of the "secret menu." Give consumers the ability to personalize ingredients and suddenly you have a whole social media subculture of folks inventing some really creative (and sometimes downright wild) versions of their daily caffeine fix. And with the help of the Starbucks app, ordering literally whatever you can imagine is easier than ever.
Starbucks devotees have managed to create secret menus for every kind of holiday and occasion. Late last November, the premiere of Netflix's series 'Wednesday' prompted the creation of the Wednesday Cold Brew. From the "Harry Potter"-themed Butterbeer Frappuccino to the infamous Pink Drink, the "secret menu" is a fascinating customer-led phenomenon.
Last October, Taylor Swift's newest album "Midnights" hit the shelves. Fans of the country-turned-pop star, who call themselves "Swifties," were overjoyed when a music video for the song "Lavender Haze" appeared months later. The video's intimate, cozy purple aesthetic wooed the internet, invoking what the kids like to call "a whole mood." Now one creative TikToker has a Starbucks menu hack that'll have you tasting the haze.
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Starbucks "Secret Menu" Lavender Haze Hack
The drink itself is a really simple order through the Starbucks app or in person. Simply order an iced passion tea with soy milk and vanilla syrup. For a tall, three pumps of vanilla will do, and four for a grande. For a venti, your barista will likely add the regular six pumps. Some have even topped the drink with berries or strawberries.
The hack has been seen before and referred to as the Purple Drink, but thanks to Swift's popularity, this secret menu name might have a stronger chance of taking off. Now if only Starbucks still had its lavender flavor on hand...
While this menu hack remains "unofficial" in the eyes of the giant coffee chain, Starbucks has teamed up with Taylor Swift in the past. In late 2021, Starbucks and Swift came together to announce a special coffee collaboration to celebrate Swift’s re-release of her album “Red.” The drink is Swift’s go-to order from the coffee house, a Grande caramel nonfat latte simply called “Taylor’s Latte.”
Starbucks Starts Off 2023 Strong
Signature Swifty drinks are yet another fun experience bringing consumers through the doors of Starbucks across the world. Though the company has struggled to make seasonal flavors catch on outside of the Halloween and winter holidays, Starbucks still celebrated better-than-anticipated revenue gains in its most recent quarterly earnings call.
Consolidated net revenues were up 8% -- which was pleasing to interim Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz.
“Starbucks performance in Q1 demonstrates the strength and resilience of our business and accelerating demand for Starbucks Coffee all around the world," he told investors during the call. “We posted today's strong results despite challenging global consumer and inflationary environments, a soft quarter for retail overall, and the unprecedented, COVID-related headwinds that unfolded in China in Q1."
