As February 14 approaches, love is officially in the air at chain restaurants, grocery stores, and even on Stanley cups. Despite not having an official seasonal beverage for the romantic holiday, the Starbucks Valentine’s drinks — a strawberry iced Chai latte and a spin on the Dragon Drink — are taking off on social media and garnering millions of views across platforms, with reviewers raving about the adorable aesthetics and delicious flavor combos. After seeing plenty of pink drink variations and cute Valentine’s cake pops on both my Instagram and TikTok pages, I decided that, yes, it was my sign to try the Starbucks Valentine’s Day drink for myself — despite the fact that the coffee chain has yet to announce or release a specific V-Day menu.
How do I order the Starbucks Valentine’s Day drink?
While the Starbucks Valentine’s drinks are not currently an official menu offering, TikTok users are revealing how to enjoy the trending pink beverages, both in Starbucks stores and via the mobile app. There are two drinks making the rounds on socials — an iced chai latte and a refresher — and both are equally adorable, and tbh, pretty simple to order.
How do I order the Starbucks Valentine’s Day Chai Latte?
First, start by ordering a Grande Iced Chai Latte, but without ice. Next, add Strawberry Cream Cold Foam, and top with strawberry pieces. For an extra dose of cuteness, add a Valentine’s Day cake pop.
All in all, this drink costs $11.75 before tax. Without the cake pop, it’s $7.50.
Unfortunately, my Starbies was not offering the Strawberry Cream Cold Foam, and when I asked if they could add strawberry cream cold foam, I was met with pure confusion, so we skipped. I did, though, get to try the Starbucks Valentine’s Dragon Drink.
How do I order the Starbucks Valentine’s Day Dragon Drink?
For my Starbucks Valentine’s Drink taste-test, I ordered a Grande Mango Dragon Fruit Refresher (which, lucky for us lactose intolerant girlies, didn’t add to the price now that Starbucks doesn’t charge extra for non-dairy substitutions). Next, I added two pumps of vanilla (three pumps is the standard for a Grande, but I don’t like my coffee, tea, or beverages super sweet). Given my touchy relationship with lactose, I skipped the recommended heavy cream — but that is a free addition for a lighter pink hue. And, of course, it wouldn’t be the viral V-day drink without the adorable red Starbucks Valentine’s Day cake pop.
What does the Starbucks Valentine’s Day Refresher taste like?
I am not a Starbucks Refresher girlie by any means, and I think I can count on one hand the number of times I’ve tried one — and they were all in the name of menu reviews rather than an order on my own accord. Tbh, I’ll take coffee or a Passion Tea Lemonade any day of the week. That said, this Valentine’s Day Dragon Drink might be replacing my passion fruit tea fix from here on out. This drink was delicious.
The dragon fruit mango flavor was perfectly sweet and tart, and was nicely balanced by the tropical flavors of the coconut milk. Despite the fact that it’s currently single digit temperatures in the NYC area, the drink was so summery and refreshing that I almost forgot that it was the end of January and snowing. Plus, the vanilla syrup was a welcome addition, and one that I never would have thought to add myself. It added a cozy sweetness that wasn’t too overpowering, and was nicely balanced by the tart tropical refresher and creaminess of the coconut milk.
Is the Starbucks Valentine’s Day refresher worth the price?
I ordered the Starbucks Valentine’s drink in a Grande size with a cake pop, and the drink set me back a cool $12.14. (I will note that it was NYC-area prices.) Personally, I don’t think that any Starbucks drink is worth that much to me, with or without the cake pop. At the end of the day, I’d rather have $10 in my bank account than any Starbucks drink, adorable pink drink and heart-decorated cake pop included.
That said, a Grande Dragon Drink on its own is $6.25 before tax, so the customizations only make for a $1 difference before the additional $4.25 for the Valentine Cake Pop. As cute as it was, the cake pop was totally overkill and didn’t necessarily pair with the flavors of the refresher. It was a fun snack to have with the drink, though.
If you look at the price of the customizations alone rather than the cost of the drink overall, I 100% think that the added vanilla syrup is worth an extra buck — it was genuinely one of the best Starbucks Refreshers I’ve ever tasted. And, while it may not be an everyday splurge, I’d say that the Starbucks Valentine’s drink is definitely worth a try at least once — especially for Refresher fans who want to get into the Valentine’s Day spirit.