Unicorn Lattes Might Be the Magical Health Elixir You Need in 2017
Obsessed with the unicorn food trend but not down to break your clean-eating habits? Or maybe you love golden milk and turmeric lattes and you're looking to try new versions? Either way, you'll be head over heels for the hottest new health food trend: unicorn lattes.
Born in Williamsburg at The End Brooklyn cafe's "Plant Alchemy Bar" (which, from what we can tell, is New York's take on LA's Moon Juice), this new drink is part coffee alternative, part alternative medicine and filled to the brim with wellness trends.
There's no coffee in this "latte." According to the cafe's Instagram, it's made from coconut milk (just like a turmeric latte) with ginger and honey (also common ingredients in a turmeric latte), plus lemon and blue-green algae, which gives it that magical light blue hue. You're essentially swapping turmeric for algae, turning golden milk into blue milk. Blue-green algae is wildly popular right now, especially in the form of Blue Majik (which is quite similar nutritionally to veteran algae spirulina but far more Instagrammable).
Gothamist reported that The End's unicorn recipe also includes cayenne and maqui berry and that the particular algae in this formula is E3Live, which is Blue Majik.
Because golden milk is touted as such a cure-all in holistic health, we can infer that there are similar properties in a unicorn latte. Let's look at the ingredients:
- Coconut milk can reduce inflammation and aid in digestion
- Blue-green algae is high in energy- and mood-boosting B12s, enzymes, minerals, and C-phycocyanin, an amino-acid-dense protein
- Ginger detoxes, settles the stomach, can soothe sore muscles, and helps digestion
Currently these healthy, mystical "milks" are only available in Brooklyn, priced at $9 a pop (quite a bit of dough to pony up), but we've also seen similar-looking (but made with actual coffee) unicorn drinks at CutiePie Cupcakes in Toronto, Arvo Cafe in Honolulu, and Cafe au Cinéma in the UK.