Looking for a fun new way to get your Starbucks fix?
Consider the Horchata Almondmilk Frappuccino, which is sadly only around for a limited time but looks super delicious!
"Our take on Horchata is a creamy, cool, cinnamon-sweet Frappuccino drink blended to perfection," Starbucks said on their website. "Delightful during the warmer months, and like summer, not here for long."
While it doesn't have actual horchata in it, the dairy-free almond base, double dose of cinnamon and caramel drizzle sounds pretty good to me.
"Inspired by the popular Horchata beverages, which vary by culture and region, Starbucks Horchata Almondmilk Frappuccino blended beverage starts with almondmilk, cinnamon dolce syrup, coffee, and ice blended together," Starbucks said in a press release. "And for Starbucks's twist on the recipe -- the beverage is topped with whipped cream, a swirl of caramel, and cinnamon and sugar sprinkles."
If you miss the late-summer drink's cutoff point, you might be able to order the secret menu version, which uses the Tazo Chai Creme Frappuccino base and adds vanilla syrup, cinnamon dolce syrup, and chai syrup as well as a dusting of cinnamon on top, according to the Starbucks Secret Menu website.
Of course, if you're looking for a more traditional horchata flavor, the chai might throw you off, but as with most drinks at 'Bux, you're usually welcome to request it with modifications.
The secret menu drink popped up a couple years ago and made the rounds on the internet. Commenters on one Reddit thread -- which featured a similar chai and cinnamon version -- mostly agreed that it's not horchata-y enough for them but rather tasted mostly of regular chai.
"Oh my gosh, tonight I tried a vanilla bean with cinnamon," one Redditor said. "THAT'S a horchata frappucino."
Others have said that Starbucks in Mexico offers a regular horchata Frappuccino, and it tastes a lot more like the real thing with vanilla, coconut and cinnamon.
"Horchatas should have more cinnamon so if you're in the mood to try this put in one more shake of cinnamon than suggested," another commented on the Reddit version, which uses four shakes of cinnamon for a tall but does not include the syrup.
The good thing is that besides the cinnamon and sugar sprinkles, the newer iteration of an ice blended horchata uses pretty regular ingredients, so if you memorize the recipe you might be able to special-request it year-round.