How to Order the Butterbeer Frap From Starbucks—and How It REALLY Tastes
When we heard that a Harry Potter-inspired "Butterbeer Frappuccino" was part of Starbucks' secret menu, we knew we'd have to try it.
The baristas at our local Starbucks might have known the new recipe, but we weren't willing to risk it. Looking to the internet, we found a recipe, pulled up the handy Starbucks app and started customizing our drink so we wouldn't have to communicate our weird order in person and it'd be waiting on a counter ready for us when we arrived.
(via the Starbucks app)
Starting with a tall vanilla bean frap base, we removed one scoop of the vanilla powder and added two pumps each of the caramel and toffee nut syrup. We also double-blended it, because that always makes drinks taste better. We topped the whole thing with whipped cream, caramel drizzle and cinnamon powder for good measure.
If you're ordering a grande, get three pumps each of the syrups, and if you're getting a venti, get four each. Some sites also recommend cinnamon dolce syrup and topping the drink with caramel bruleé or cinnamon dolce sprinkles, but the recipe is really up to you.
When we finally picked up our drinks, we could smell the sweet, buttery scent of caramel from even a few feet away. The frap looked pretty magical.
The caramel drizzle with a smatter of cinnamon was exactly what we expected, but we were surprised how purely white the creme base still looked. Based on the color, we weren't expecting what happened next.
When we took a sip, we were met with a very strong caramel flavor that was sweet but not overpowering. Thanks to the toffee nut syrup, the buttery notes you'd expect from a butterbeer really shined through.
The amount of flavor in the drink seemed just right, as we were able to finish the whole thing without getting a sugar rush. It was quite tasty, and we definitely enjoyed it a lot better than the sickly sweet DIY vanilla soda and butterscotch concoction we've tried in the past. If you've ever desperately wished you could visit Hogsmeade, you owe it to yourself to try this drink.
Are you a Harry Potter fanatic? HERE to find out which Hogwarts house suits you best, based on your zodiac sign.