All about horchata: Introducing Starbucks new Iced Shaken Espresso
The new Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso joins the Starbucks menu starting May 20, for a limited time.
For Ricky Gonzalez working on the new Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso brought back childhood memories of Sunday afternoons spent with family and horchata.
“In the central California neighborhood where I grew up, horchata was everywhere—on street corners, in convenience stores, and on the menu at most Mexican restaurants we visited,” Gonzalez said. “Every Sunday, we would have a family meal at a Mexican restaurant, and horchata was always a treat for my brother and me. It was icy, sweet, and spiced with cinnamon. It’s both comforting and refreshing.”
Gonzalez partnered with Simon Vuong and other members of the beverage development team to create the new Starbucks Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, inspired by the Mexican style horchata and will join the Starbucks menu starting May 20, for a limited time. The beverage is made with Starbucks Blonde Espresso which provides a light, smooth, and subtly sweet profile that pairs well with the new horchata syrup to create a fusion of warm cinnamon, sweet vanilla and subtle nutty notes of toasted rice flavors shaken together with ice and topped with oatmilk.
We really put ourselves in that summer mindset,” Vuong said. “It has that craveable, refreshing flavor that we believe consumers are going to be excited to try, and when they do, come back for.”
Horchata recipes and flavor profiles can vary throughout the world. In Spain, horchata de chufa is often made with tiger nuts, whereas Puerto Rico uses sesame seeds. The team ultimately settled on a Mexican-inspired recipe with layers of flavor and topped with oatmilk for a refreshing and creamy pick-me-up, and other members of the team who had grown up with the beverage helped refine the recipe to get the final version.
“Everyone has a different version of horchata, and for a lot of people it can be very personal,” Gonzalez said. “It’s a privilege to try to take those pieces to create our own take on the beverage in a way customers will enjoy. For people who grew up with horchata, hopefully it takes them to a place or a time where they enjoyed it. For those who aren’t as familiar, I hope it will be an introduction to a delicious flavor.”
All about Iced Shaken Espresso
Starbucks Iced Shaken Espresso – with its bold coffee profile, subtle sweetness and flavor-infused froth – quickly emerged as a Starbucks icon since it was launched in 2021. With customers preferring cold coffee beverages and nondairy milk, the Iced Shaken Espresso beverages have been the fastest drink to reach $1 billion in sales in company history.
