Well, folks, it's official — the Unicorn Frappuccino at Starbucks is no more, finishing its four-day run on Sunday, April 23. But in the words of Dr. Seuss, "Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened. And then figure out how to order Unicorn Lemonade at Starbucks because, let's be frank, themed drinks are one of the last shreds of your humanity you have left to hold onto in 2017."
My blatant misquoting of a beloved children's literature icon aside, the real news here is that there is a chance that the magic isn't quite over yet. The promotion for the Unicorn Frappuccino may strictly be four days, but a lot of stores still have the ingredients in stock — namely, the blue and pink powder responsible for the Unicorn Frapp's iridescent hues. Apparently, their use doesn't just extend to frapps; one barista on Reddit suggested in true The Last Unicorn-esque fashion that the powders could find new life in a Unicorn Lemonade, which would be every bit as colorful and fun as its predecessor, but a lot more manageable as your casual 3 p.m. snack (anyone else fall victim to a Unicorn Nap last week?).
Now, it's important to note that Unicorn Lemonade is not an official item on the Starbucks menu, so don't go asking for it or you will have some justifiably confused baristas. Instead, ask (WITH UTMOST POLITENESS, because truly guys, the baristas were the true unicorns of last week) if there is any leftover blue and pink powder from last week's frapps.
While the original photos posted on Reddit and Imgur have since been deleted, the instructions for building your own remain:
"It's actually really yummy if you like sour! It's just a layered raspberry lemonade. On the left, the first half is with the blue powder and the top with the pink. The one of the right is just a lemonade with the blue powder on the bottom and then passion tea on top. If you put extra ice in the cup you're able to layer it :)"
So essentially, you can either ask for raspberry lemonade or an iced tea lemonade, and request that that they use one of the powders on the layers with extra ice to give it that cool unicorn ombre look. Then you have a cool, refreshing, and actually caffeinated version of the Unicorn Frappuccino — because let's be real, your unicorn manicure hasn't chipped away yet and you are still Here For The 'Grams.
Bear in mind, though, that this is not an official menu item, and that many Starbucks locations ran out of ingredients as early as the first day of the Unicorn Frappuccino promotion. Have a back up plan, and be chill about it. We are all of us unicorns not so deep down in our caffeinated skin.
