This Barista Invented a Secret-Menu Mermaid Frappuccino in America

By Anna Monette Roberts


Just because you can't get your hands on the limited-edition Mermaid Frappuccino in Mexico doesn't mean your Starbucks baristas aren't doling out magic. One inspired barista named Jócelyn Freeman took it upon herself to create a new secret-menu item in America (around the same time the Unicorn Frappuccino sold out). Behold: the unofficial Mermaid Frappuccino. Here's how you order it:

  • Ask for a Pokémon Go Frappuccino minus the raspberry syrup. In other words: a Vanilla Bean Frappuccino blended with freeze-dried blackberries.
  • Ask for a toasted-coconut matcha sauce drizzle. The recipe is eight pumps white mocha sauce, three pumps toasted-coconut syrup, and three heaping scoops of matcha, mixed in a pitcher until smooth and poured into a gravity bottle, according to Starbucks's Secret Menu.
  • Ask the barista to drizzle the sauce inside the cup before pouring in the Frappuccino. Top it with whipped cream and more drizzle or matcha powder sprinkled on top.

Though some Starbucks baristas have expressed their annoyance with complicated secret-menu items, others are accepting the new trend and participating by coming up with unique riffs themselves. Starbucks has even added the Pink Drink to its menu, so the corporation's attitude toward secret-menu items is shifting.

While everyone else is trying out the unicorn frappe... #mermaidfrappuccino 🐠🦈🐳🐟🐋🐬🐙

A post shared by Liliana Ramirez 🙎🏽 (@lili_rmz09) on

Jócelyn told her followers in the comments, "I know that the secret menu can be frustrating, but these new 'Instagram-ready' type of drinks are not going anywhere . . . I wanted to create a drink where there was already a button in play and a standard build . . . It is not a difficult drink to make. The drizzle, I understand is a grey area . . . [D]o what's right for you and our customers. That might be making the drizzle, or that might be sprinkling the top with matcha. We have a huge responsibility to deliver the #Starbucks experience to all of these new customers! Instead of wishing it would stop (because it's not) embrace it! Have fun!" Cheers to this positive Starbucks barista who cares about her customers.