Starbucks' 3-Ingredient Green Drink Hack Is A Secret Menu Gem

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Starbucks drinks are proudly handcrafted, meaning that a barista utilized a company recipe to make you an exceptional sip every time you come through the lobby or drive-thru. What that also means, however, is that there is a rich "secret menu" at the home of the Siren, on which existing drinks are customized in new and fun ways. Sometimes, new concoctions are created altogether, like the coffee drink inspired by Eleven from "Stranger Things." One particularly popular secret menu drink on our radar — keeping in mind that there is, in fact, no official secret menu at Starbucks — is a "green drink" that's refreshing and delightfully adult, combining iced black tea, matcha powder, and coconut milk.

If you like the grassy taste of matcha (and this drink won't be very enjoyable if you don't!), you'll love this cool, tasty tea with a vibrant leafy hue. Depending on whether you enjoy a bit of sweetness, you could definitely ask the barista to add your sweetener of choice (Starbucks offers a ton, typically including honey blend, simple syrup, and sugar substitutes by the packet). For best results, order this drink on your app so that you aren't bogging down the line by explaining it to your barista, who may have never heard of it. This will also give you the opportunity to really examine your options for making the green drink your own, from alternative sweeteners to a whole host of other custom options to make it taste great.

Instead of just plain simple syrup, we've heard of folks asking for vanilla syrup in their green drink for a sweet, mellow pop of flavor that beautifully offsets the bitter edge of the black tea and the matcha. As of this writing, Starbucks is offering raspberry syrup as part of its lineup, which could offer a delicious, fruity addition to the mix. If you really like the grown-up earthiness of the bitter ingredients, however, add an extra dimension of flavor with some of Starbucks' lavender powder, but only when it is seasonally available. Note that doing so will muddy the beautiful green color of your drink, which is a definite trade-off. For a milder flavor, how about iced green tea instead of black tea?

The great thing about this matcha-tea-coconut milk combination is that, if you can't make it to your nearest Starbs, it's a cinch to whip up at home. Black iced tea is easy to come by, along with ceremonial-grade matcha (wondering what, exactly, it is?), which you can purchase on Amazon. With some ice, a can of coconut milk, and a splashy Starbucks insulated tumbler, you are good to go! We think that the "green drink" would be just the thing to cool us off on a muggy summer day, although it would probably taste just as good with hot black tea when the weather is chilly and you want a bracing pick-me-up!