Starbucks Spiked Pink Drink

The pastel drink, with vodka

The original is a strawberry-coconut refresher with freeze-dried fruit on top, sold in coffee shops. This is an independent home version with vodka added, with no connection to or approval by the brand.

Measures and what they do

• Vodka, 1.5 oz — clean strength that lets the strawberry lead.
• Strawberry acai syrup, 2 oz — colour, fruit and most of the sugar. Two ounces is the difference between pink and pale.
• Coconut milk, 3 oz — the pale backdrop that turns red into pastel and adds a soft tropical finish.
• Freeze-dried strawberries, 1 tbsp — crunch and the visible fruit that makes the drink look right.
• Ice, generous — this one is served very cold and fairly dilute.

Coconut milk, not coconut cream

This is the ingredient that ruins the drink. Canned coconut cream is thick, faintly grey and tastes of sunscreen; the carton of coconut milk sold as a drink is what you want. Dairy cream turns the colour beige and covers the strawberry.

Two ways to build it

For the layered look, fill the glass with ice, add the vodka and the syrup, then pour the coconut milk slowly over the back of a spoon so it sits as a pale band on top. For a smoother drink, shake everything with ice for 10 seconds and strain over fresh ice; the colour turns uniform and the texture silkier.

Strength and calories

Two ounces of 40% vodka is 0.6 oz of pure alcohol: near 9% before the ice, around 7% in the glass. Expect roughly 250 kcal, almost all of the sugar coming from the fruit syrup.

Mistakes

• Coconut cream from a can. Thick, grey and overpowering.
• Shaking it and letting it stand. Coconut milk separates; stir again before serving.
• Skipping the freeze-dried fruit. Fresh strawberries bleed pale and go soft.
• Too much syrup. Two ounces is already generous.

Variations

• Frozen pink drink — blend everything with two cups of ice.
• Pink spritz — top it with 2 oz of chilled prosecco for a lighter, drier drink.

Starbucks Spiked Pink Drink FAQ

Do I need strawberry acai syrup specifically?

It is the closest match, but a good strawberry syrup with a squeeze of lime gets you most of the way.

Why did my drink turn beige?

Dairy cream, canned coconut cream, or too little syrup. Use carton coconut milk and keep the full two ounces of strawberry.