Life

Behind The Unicorn Frappuccino's Changing Flavors

by Emma Lord

Holy sparkles and sunshine, Batman, the rumors are true. Starbucks is offering the Unicorn Frappuccino, in all of its majestic pink and blue and shimmery glory. For a long time now, fans of Starbucks have heard tell of this mythical drink, wondering what color and what flavor the Unicorn Frappuccino could be. But only on Tuesday was its existence officially confirmed — what little of its existence there will be, that is. My fellow unicorns, you will have to move fast to hop on this shiny train, because the Unicorn Frappuccino will only be available in participating Starbucks stores from Wednesday, April 19 to Sunday, April 23 while supplies last.

Before you go on a bender purchasing two or three of these beautiful whoppers per day, you should prepare yourself emotionally, psychologically, and existentially for what’s about to happen to you and your taste buds. See, this frappuccino isn’t just an homage to unicorns — it’s also COLOR- AND FLAVOR-CHANGING, which is pretty much a first in all of caffeinated history. Starbucks: giving real unicorns a run for their money since 2017.

Despite its purple appearance, this new drink’s base is actually crème frappuccino with mango syrup, which is then mixed with sour blue drizzle and topped with whipped cream and pink and blue powder (aka "Unicorn Dust"). At first taste, it is “sweet and fruity,” but according to Starbucks, once you mix it up, the color of the drink changes to pink and the flavor becomes “tangy and tart.” Early adapters have referred to the flavor as reminiscent of Sour Patch kids, which is kind of on the nose, seeing as unicorn blood in Harry Potter gave drinkers eternal youth. (Too far? Not far enough??)

As far as the caffeine content of the Unicorn Frappuccino, it is decidedly on the lower end — comparable creme Frappuccino drinks have 0mg of caffeine. Bustle has reached out to Starbucks for approximate pricing and caffeine content of the Unicorn Frappuccino, and will update upon response.

In the meantime, giddy up, fellow unicorns. This magic is as delicious as it is fleeting, and will only be available in stores in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada from April 19 to April 23.