Starbucks Gets in on the Unicorn Food and Drink Trend

Photo: Starbucks Newsroom.

Starting Wednesday, April 19, Starbucks will be serving a Unicorn Frappuccino that changes color and flavors as you sip. The blended beverage starts off as purple with blue swirls but changes to pink as it is stirred. Made with mango syrup and sour blue drizzle, the initially fruity taste transforms to a tangy-tart flavor. It’s all topped off with a cloud of vanilla whipped cream and a sprinkle of sour blue and sweet pink powders.

As otherworldly as the latest incarnation of the crème Frappuccino sounds, it’s only one of many Unicorn-themed eats and drinks that have overrun Instagram. What qualifies as a unicorn food or drink? Anything pastel-colored, rainbow-hued, shimmering, glittery, or bearing a unicorn horn or dainty eyelashes. It’s the kind of food or beverage your girlfriend—or a preschooler—would gush over.

Where did the trend begin? It’s unclear, though some would suggest it started with Unicorn Poop Cookies, a hypnotic, spiral-designed sugar cookie invented by the Sweet Insanity Bake Shop in Chino, California. Since then, the unicorn trend has lost the poop part of its moniker and spread from foods and beverages as diverse as cake and milkshakes to popcorn and grilled cheese. There’s even a Unicorn Cafe in Bangkok, Thailand.

Since the Unicorn Frappuccino will only be available until Sunday, April 23, we found a handful of other tasty tie-dyed eats that will satisfy your unicorn cravings. Consume responsibly.