Starbucks Refresher Concentrates Are Coming—and One Flavor Has Never Been on the Menu Before

Thank goodness, Starbucks finally got all our letters asking for a Refresher at 11 p.m.—one that’s not those bottled Pink Drinks. According to reliable sources, Starbucks will begin selling Refresher Concentrates in stores very soon. Let’s get into all the refreshing details.

Where did this news come from?

Back in October, my pals SnackWire and Markie Devo posted the first report that Starbucks Refresher Concentrates were coming to stores…eventually. While the finer details on release dates and retailers aren’t public just yet, the product listings for these concentrates have appeared in multiple stores’ product catalogs (including Walmart). Once we know exactly when and where these will be available, we’ll be back with an update—after Starbucks comes to the negotiating table with a fair deal to end the ongoing strike.

Which Starbucks Refreshers will we be able to make at home?

The three flavors revealed so far are Mango Dragonfruit, Strawberry Açaí, and Lime Watermelon. While Mango Dragonfruit and Strawberry Açaí are familiar to anyone who’s ever seen a Starbucks menu, Lime Watermelon certainly isn’t. 

After asking three Starbucks baristas (former and current, I’m doing my due diligence) and a load of googling, it doesn’t appear that a Lime Watermelon Refresher ever appeared on the Starbucks menu. Starbucks has sold a Shaken Watermelon and Passion Tea drink made with lime juice in Japan. That’s taking “Starbucks at Home” a little far, but more power to them.

Okay, what are these really for?

Listen, part of the fun of getting Starbucks is going to Starbucks. While they’ve certainly lost most of their “third space” energy, it’s still fun to go get a little treat from a building that smells nice! Making Starbucks drinks at home just doesn’t hit the same—trust me, I’ve tried. It’s one thing to offer “Starbucks at Home” coffees that you just pour out of a jug—people need coffee! But Refreshers are purely a fun drink, and fun drinks are way less fun when you have to make them yourself.
That being said, there’s something you’ll be able to do with these Refresher Concentrates that you can’t do at any Starbucks locations (except the Starbucks Reserve stores): mix them with alcohol. Folks, these are going to be great mixers! Sorority parties and book club meetings will never be the same.