Behold, Starbucks is taking social media by storm with its secret menu of drinks. And, just when you think it can’t get any better, the brand introduced summertime favorite ice cold drinks—strawberry acai and its mouth-watering twin blend—The pink drink.
Strawberry Acai vs Pink Drink
The only difference is that the Strawberry acai doesn’t contain coconut milk, instead, it’s made with: Water, strawberry acai base, freeze-dried Strawberries, and ice. When substituting water for creamy coconut milk you get the pink drink.
Through this basic difference, Starbucks has managed to create two separate drinks; different in texture, color, and flavor, yet each exquisite in its own way.
Strawberry Acai | Pink Drink | |
Calories | 90 | 140 |
Sugar | 20g | 24g |
Fat | 0g | 2.5g |
Best For you?
The strawberry Acai is your go-to for quenching your thirst on a summer day, with its original fruity and caffeinated flavor. Compared to the pink drink, the strawberry Acai contains less fat, calories, and sugar.
The pink drink, on the other hand, prides a creamy baby pink shade, manifesting a sweet, full, and fruity flavor that is rich in caffeine to boost your energy.
If you’re interested in another pink drink version, you can also check my dragon drink vs pink drink article.
Strawberry Acai vs Pink Drink Copycat Ingredients
So, have you ever wondered what’s behind these iced drinks? They make you want them so badly but you don’t know how?
The good news is that we have prepared you a list of ingredients with a copycat recipe to recreate your favorite Starbucks beverages at home.
Acai powder
One might ask why we chose to add acai powder to our pink juice. The special acai berry powder brings a flavor-rich sweetness and it is essential in the homemade making of your strawberry acai refresher.
White grape juice
Everyone desires a brittle touch of flavor in beverages. This white grape juice ensures that your juice stands to depict a refreshing-filled vibe allure that leaves you sipping more. It can be substituted with apple juice.
Simple syrup or sugar
You would prefer something that melts much more quickly in your drink, syrup dissolves faster compared to sugar or honey.
Coffee Extract or Green tea
We need caffeine in our juice, therefore instead of opting for a coffee extract which is seemingly expensive; you can choose to go for green tea. It will not alter the taste of the juice. In this recipe, I will show you how to prepare it as a substitute for coffee extract.
Water
Water is used for mixing all the fruit flavors needed
Ice
Ice is used to bring a cold refreshing output that will leave your thirst quenched.
How to prepare strawberry acai refresher
The world is full of people who mind their pockets, when it comes to making homemade Starbucks iced drinks, satisfaction is the kernel. By satisfaction I mean affordable—you don’t have to feel that you are spending much.
Fortunately, the strawberry acai refresher needs what you mostly have at home and if not, they are readily available and affordable at convenient stores.
Step 1
Boil water and immerse green tea bag, steep the tea for about 2minutes, and place it in the refrigerator to cool.
Step 2
Slice the fresh strawberries and place them into a blender then add water. Blend them until you are left with smooth strawberry slurry, then force through a fine mesh.
Step 3
In a separate cup or glass, add the acai powder and some amount of water. Whisk together until it dissolves.
Step 4
Add the acai mixture, sugar syrup, white grape juice, and chilled green tea to the blended strawberry juice and mix until it is fully incorporated.
Step 5
Add ice cubes to a tall glass and pour the mixture over. Serve the strawberry acai refresher and enjoy.
Tips and tricks
- If you do not have dried acai powder you can always use frozen acai pulp blended.
- You might prefer to use syrup other than honey and sugar for it dissolves and melts quickly
- If you do not like the black particles brought about by the berries, you can always strain them through a fine mesh.
- If you do not have freeze-dried strawberries you can always use fresh strawberries
- The recipe is not acai-flavoured as what might be offered in Starbucks but does not have a noticeable difference in terms of taste.
- Remember if you have any leftover of strawberry acai, strain it from the ice and keep it in the refrigerator for not more than 6 days.
Strawberry acai refresher with coconut milk
Ingredients for a pink drink are the same as the strawberry Acai, you just add coconut milk into the mixture and you’re good to go!
- Acai powder
- White grape juice
- Simple syrup or sugar
- Coffee extract or Green tea
- Coconut milk
- Ice
Coconut milk ensures the drink is creamy even without dairy. You can always substitute this with your preferred choice of milk it can be either almond or dairy milk.
How to prepare the pink drink
This drink sends a message of good weather and acts as an appetizer of good news—it is the best choice for summer. The advantageous part of all this is that you can always recreate it at home—you don’t have to worry over the long queues at Starbucks.
Step 1
Prepare your coffee extract, or in the case of the green tea, start by putting it in boiled water. Steep the tea for about 3 minutes and let it cool in the fridge.
Step 2
Slice the strawberries and add them together with white grape juice into a blender. Blend the mixture until it’s smooth then pass it through a mesh.
Step 3
In a different cup or bowl, add acai powder, the blended strawberry juice, the chilled green tea, and coconut milk. Mix them well. Later on add sugar stir to combine, and add the sugar until it reaches your sweetness level.
Step 4
In a tall glass add ice cubes and pour the mixture. You can add more strawberries to garnish. Serve and enjoy the pink creamy juice.
Tips for Making strawberry acai refresher and pink Drink
- You must ensure your green tea is chilled before making the drink
- You must ensure the acai powder is dissolved properly into the grape juice, the blended strawberry juice, the chilled green tea and coconut milk. It might take some time but it’s worth the wait.
- You might not like the tiny black or white particles, it is advisable you pass them through a fine mesh
- You can always customize the level of you caffeine or sweetness by starting with a small amount of sugar and slowly adding more. You can always taste and adjust to your most desired sweetness or perfect flavour.
- This recipe might not call for anything acai-flavoured as that of Starbucks but does not make a huge difference in terms of taste.
Is Strawberry Acai Refresher nutritious?
Anything meant for consumption is questionable health-wise. Many might want to grasp its health benefits before making a decision about whether it’s good or not.
The term healthy may not specifically fit this kind of beverage though it is a much better-preferred choice compared to others.
Yes, the strawberry acai refresher is nutritious. Acai is rich in antioxidants, fiber, and fatty acids. Strawberry is a low-calorie fruit—fat-free and therefore cholesterol-free. If you are worried about getting fat, strawberry acai refresher is your idol as it contains few calories and is therefore presumed to be healthy.
It is, therefore, more advisable to have a homemade strawberry acai refresher because you can always use less sugar and more natural ingredients.
That said, the strawberry acai refresher made at Starbucks might contain more sugar or not be made out of natural ingredients.
FAQS
What is Starbucks’ pink drink made of?
The Starbucks pink drink is made with coconut milk in place of water, strawberry acai base, white grape juice, coffee extract, freeze-dried strawberries, sugar or syrup, and ice
Does strawberry acai refresher contain caffeine?
Yes, because the refresher contains green coffee flavor or coffee extract which is caffeinated.
How much does the drink cost?
The drink costs an approximated amount of $4 and $6 at Starbucks depending on what you add to it. And of course, It can cost less than $3 when homemade.
Final Thoughts:
There is a big chance you have come across the many trending posts on social media about strawberry acai drinks and even the pink drink. You might have wondered why people are obsessed with it and maybe wanted to try it out.
While you could grab one from Starbucks, we have made your choice simple by giving you the best ways in making it without having to incur any costs.
Starbucks brought out summertime favorite ice cold drinks—strawberry acai refresher clasped with ice and freeze-dried strawberries. They also introduced a mouth-watering blend of strawberry acai and creamy coconut milk—a pink drink.
if you welcome a sweet taste, a flavor iced drink with all features of fresh strawberry and acai. You should not puzzle over the menu.
You sitting and fretting over what to pick should not bewildering at all. The good news is that the thrill of quenching your thirst is not limited to iced strawberry acai or pink juice drinks thanks to Starbucks.