Pumpkins popping up, sweaters reemerging and the weather cooling are all signs that Halloween is fast approaching. And with the reappearance of a certain terrifying clown, some Starbucks locations have decided to mark the season of freaky frights early.
As far as coffee shops go, Starbucks has a pretty comprehensive menu. But that hasn’t stopped Instagram-loving youths from ordering all manner of photogenic frappuccinos. While most previous iterations of those “secret menu” beverages have been bubbly and colorful, the latest such example is derived from some pretty scary source material.
It’s to be expected that brands who have absolutely no business associating themselves with an inter-dimensional demon who eats children are still shoehorning poor Pennywise into their marketing. Equally unsurprising is the fact that some are proving more successful than others. Case in point, the It-inspired Starbucks iced coffee that is currently dominating Instagram feeds.
Now that IT Chapter 2 is out, it’s perhaps unsurprising that the drink would make a return to the social media scene; however — and we know we say this every time we talk about a new secret menu item, but it bears repeating — if you want to order an IT Frappuccino, don’t just roll up to the counter and ask for it by name. Since it’s not an official menu item, baristas aren’t trained in how to make it; heck, unless a given “secret menu” item has gone super viral, it’s likely they won’t even have any idea what you’re talking about (and even if the concoction in question has gained a certain amount of notoriety, there’s still no guarantee they’ll know what goes into it). To be clear, this isn’t a failing on the part of the barista; it’s just, you know, the way things are. It’s their job to know how to make the standardized items that are on their employer’s actual menu. It’s not their job to know how to make items that some random person on the other side of the country just dreamed up and gave a catchy name — so it’s not realistic for customers to expect them to do so.
While the 'It" Frappuccino doesn't seem to have much connection to the story of the small town-killer clown, its aesthetic connection is spot on. The streaks of strawberry purée accent the white vanilla bean base with red, just like Pennywise's unmistakable makeup and signature sinister color scheme. Even though this drink SCREAMS Halloween, it’s actually available all year round so you can add it to your favorite’s list.