Starbucks Not-So Secret Menu
Well, Starbucks secret recipes and menu aren’t secret anymore, with so many on the internet. There was a blog stating that you could blend any pastry or even a sandwich with a drink. The usual (insane) me, was thrilled to blend a cake (~ SGD6.90) into a drink! So I decided to try it out the first time at the nearest Starbucks outlet which happened to be at Fusionopolis – One North MRT, Singapore. Subsequently, I tried it out at other outlets in Singapore.
If you’re adventurous like me, go ahead and try it out on your next trip to Starbucks. I do admit, some baristas get a shock (with the judging face) when they hear the request of blending a cake into a drink. There are also some hearing them for the first time and they get a little curious wondering what would the drink taste like.
*As these drinks were experimented in Singapore and may not be available at your location. Nonetheless check with your baristas if they are able to whip these drinks. All prices are in Singapore Dollars.
Monster Cookie Frappuccino
I vaguely recall seeing a secret menu stating that the cookie could be blended into the drink! Since I was on a budget deficit, I decided to try blending a cookie which was about $4 alongside with a Grande Vanilla Creme Frappuccino.
Fun Fact : One North Starbucks is pretty quiet after work hours and can be a good spot (especially the 2nd floor), if you needed to relax with your drink near One-North MRT. Nonetheless, it would be worth the visit to head over to Buona Vista Starbucks (Rochester Outlet), which is a two-storey bungalow house giving chill vibes while enjoying the serenity by being away from the hustle and bustle.
Verdict : The Vanilla Creme Frappuccino is a versatile drink and thankfully it blended well with the cookie. But you could taste the bits of the cookies, it wasn’t very fine (barista warned me about it too), so the drink had a crumbly texture. Overall the cookie taste wasn’t too overwhelming it complemented each other, but it was a tad sugary with a slight doughy taste.
Green Tea Cheesecake Frappuccino
In 2018, Starbucks released their Green Tea Cheesecake Frappuccino (on the left) and they were running 1-for-1 offers pretty frequently. I recall queuing up for almost an hour during internship (thankfully my boss was overseas). At first the idea of Green Tea Cheesecake put me off, since I wasn’t a fan of Green Tea Frappes.
Well I gave in and decided to try it out. It was very creamy with the matcha notes, which got me addicted and I went back to try it again. But Starbucks took the flavour off the shelf very quickly and I was upset. So I decided to give it a shot and try to assimilate a very similar drink (on the right).
With that I suggested to the barista to blend a Good Ol’ NY Cheesecake with the Green Tea Creme Frappuccino. Well this barista at the Fullerton Waterboat House was cool, mentioning that it was common for patrons to blend cakes into their drinks at that outlet. He whipped it up real quick and asked how much of the cake slice I wanted to blend into the drink. Well I opted to blend the entire cake so I could enjoy the creaminess, nonetheless you could play around and blend 1/2 or 3/4 of the cheesecake into the drink and have the remaining cake separately.
Fun Fact : Fullerton Waterboat House is Starbucks’ 100th outlet in Singapore. It overlooks the Singapore River, however they closed the outlet recently in February as the lease expired. Indeed was a gorgeous outlet.
Verdict : It was almost the same as the drink Starbucks released, but the blended version was much creamier! If it weren’t for the price and calories, I would have this again. The hue of this drink was different from the Starbucks ‘released’ drink, since the syrup they used must have been different.
Cookie Crumble Cheesecake Frappuccino
During my internship near Fusionopolis, I did another experiment using Starbucks’ versatile drink – Venti Vanilla Creme Frappuccino. This time blended the Cookie Crumble Cheesecake.
Verdict : I liked the hue of the drink which came from the Cookie Crumble Cheesecake. As you can see the bits of cookie were still but the bits were finer than the Monster Cookie Drink. But the taste was different from the Monster Cookie since the cookie gave a more doughy taste while the cheesecake was creamier. So it depends on the texture and taste you want to go for!
Earl Grey Honey Frappuccino
The Early Grey Honey cake is a sponge cake that I was eyeing for a while back in 2018 (not sure if this flavour is still around). It has earl grey buttercream on the top and between the layers.
Blended this cake into the grande vanilla creme frappuccino.
Verdict : There were granular bits of earl grey dusting (I believe), but it doesn’t really affect the taste or the texture. It was pretty smooth, simple yet addictive with the hint of earl grey. The elements gelled well that I was surprised that it tasted better as a blended drink than a stand-alone cake and drink. Well, I did regret buying a grande instead of a venti for the first time.
Blueberry Cheesecake Frappuccino
Last year May, when I was interning at NTU, I decided to redeem my complimentary birthday cake. I had to purchase a Venti size drink, which made me think of blending the cake together with a drink, since I was rushing for time. So had the Venti Vanilla Creme Frappuccino and blueberry cheesecake. I had a tough time choosing the cake, but the kind barista helped me and suggested to try the blueberry cheesecake. He was pretty dazzled by my request of blending a cake into a drink and was curious of how it tasted.
I’m not sure if the picture is able to highlight the slight gradient effect, but right after blending the cake into the Frappuccino, it had a pinkish-purple gradient which came from the blueberry ‘jam’ on the top of the cake.
Verdict : I like the hue which reminded me of those pink cotton candies. Though there were granular bits coming from the ‘blueberry jam’, it wasn’t really in the way. Each sip had a sweet tangy taste at first followed by the creamy cheesecake taste, so you got to stir well. The flavour was as rich as the other blends I tried above and nothing short, and I was pretty full after this drink. (Not sure if my appetite is becoming smaller or the drink was the reason why).
Final thoughts: I have read a lot on the secret menu but I am usually status-quo and head for the safer options that are on the menu. However, if we live life so vicariously are we really living it? This quote really made me wonder and pushed me out of my boundaries. I didn’t get the chance to try out my Starbucks experimentation this year, yet. But if I would choose a favourite blend I have tried, it would be the green tea cheesecake frappuccino. But that doesn’t mean I will stick to it, I’m looking forward to my drink experimentation once circuit breaker is over.
Tip : Further customise the drink to your preference / diet by changing the milk type (non-fat, almond milk), adding sugar-free syrup!
What are your thoughts on this? Is there a blend that you think I should try out at Starbucks? Leave a comment below!