The History Of Starbucks Secret Menus - Is There Actually An Official One?

As consumers, we're often in search of something new, fresh, and exciting. This is especially the case for our favorite fast food chains, as sometimes a standard menu can feel quite limiting. Enter the "secret menu," offering unique combinations of a company's limited ingredients. There's an added exclusivity factor, as secret menus are often spread through word of mouth only. While many places boast secret menus, there's nowhere with a more expansive secret menu than Starbucks. Since the coffee giant opened in 1971, Starbucks has offered customers nearly endless possibilities for drink customizations. 

Today, you can order over 383 billion combinations of a latte alone at your local Starbucks, thanks to a mind-boggling number of syrups, foams, and beverage styles. This has inspired creative Starbucks fans to invent their own beverages, establishing the Starbucks Secret Menu that we know and love. In the age of social media, these drinks have gone viral, gaining mainstream attention in the early 2010s. Sometimes, Secret Menu beverages can come from the baristas themselves, as evidenced by the Kinder Bueno Frappuccino, a milky Starbucks drink that tastes like Kinder chocolate.

It's important to note that, despite the myriad of viral social media posts, Starbucks doesn't officially recognize its Secret Menu. And, since the company doesn't formally acknowledge these popular unofficial creations, Starbucks baristas aren't trained to make beverages not found on the official menu. Therefore, if you're ordering a complicated drink off the Secret Menu, such as a Cocoa Puffs Frappuccino, you might have to provide a recipe to ensure you're getting exactly what you're after.

While the vast majority of Starbucks' Secret Menu beverages may never gain corporate recognition, some have managed to work their way from elusive word-of-mouth creations to mainstream successes. Perhaps the most notable of these is the famous Starbucks Pink Drink, which was introduced as a permanent menu addition in 2017. Before its official recognition, the Pink Drink went viral in spring of 2016. Simply put, customers couldn't get enough of Starbucks' Strawberry Açaí Refresher made with coconut milk instead of water. In the years since, the drink has maintained its popularity, and Starbucks even introduced bottled Pink Drinks to grocery stores in 2023. Another drink that started on the Starbucks Secret Menu is the Medicine Ball. 

Created around 2016, the Medicine Ball is a combination of the company's Mint Majesty and Peach Tranquility Teavana brewed teas mixed with steamed lemonade and honey. It's hailed as a comforting ailment for those dealing with colds. The drink was officially added to Starbucks' menu in 2017, after a store manager wrote to corporate that the Medicine Ball was ordered 20 times a day at their location and several other managers concurred. This understandably caused it to catch the eye of executives. Since being adopted onto the official menu, the coffee chain markets the drink as Honey Citrus Mint Tea, and it's still a popular throat-soothing Starbucks beverage go-to for customers who are feeling under the weather. If you're curious, here are 30 Starbucks Secret Menu drinks you won't want to miss in 2024.