The 5 Must-Try Items On The Starbucks Summer Menu 2025: A Deep Dive Into The Iced Horchata Shaken Espresso

Starbucks has officially launched its highly anticipated Summer Menu for 2025, bringing a wave of new, vibrant flavors and the triumphant return of a fan-favorite seasonal beverage. After months of speculation and leaks across social media, the coffee giant dropped its full seasonal lineup, centered on cold, refreshing, and often non-dairy options, signaling a clear focus on the growing demand for chilled beverages.

The 2025 summer menu, which began rolling out in mid-May, introduces a sophisticated, spice-forward espresso drink alongside a whimsical new food item, ensuring there is a perfect summer treat for every customer. This year, the focus is on elevated flavors and textures, blending classic coffee comfort with global dessert inspiration.

The Essential New Additions & Returning Favorites for Summer 2025

The Starbucks Summer Menu 2025 is a masterclass in balancing innovation with nostalgia. While the company continues to push the boundaries of flavor with new espresso creations, they also wisely brought back a wildly popular Refresher from last year. Here are the must-try items that define the season:

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1. Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso (The New Star)

The undisputed headliner of the 2025 summer lineup is the Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, a beverage that immediately answers the call for more cultural flavor profiles and non-dairy options.

• Flavor Profile: This drink is a creamy, spiced twist on the classic shaken espresso format. It blends bold, rich espresso with a sweet, aromatic horchata-flavored syrup.
• Key Ingredients: The use of oat milk is crucial, as it provides a smooth, velvet-like texture that naturally mimics the traditional rice milk base of authentic horchata, perfectly complementing the cinnamon-sugar spice.
• Why It's a Must-Try: It’s a sophisticated, creamy, and dairy-free option that offers a comforting yet cooling cinnamon-sugar flavor without being overly sweet. It’s poised to become the most popular new cold beverage of the season.

2. Summer-Berry Starbucks Refreshers® Beverages (The Triumphant Return)

After its debut last year, the Summer-Berry Starbucks Refresher has made a highly anticipated return, solidifying its status as a seasonal favorite.

• Flavor Profile: This Refresher is a vibrant, fruity base featuring a blend of sweet and tart berry flavors, including notes of blueberry, blackberry, and strawberry.
• The Trio of Sips: The beverage is available in three forms: the base Refresher (mixed with water), the Summer Skies Drink (mixed with creamy coconutmilk), and the Summer-Berry Lemonade Refresher (mixed with lemonade for an extra zing).
• The Summer Vibe: The Refreshers line is a core part of Starbucks’ strategy to dominate the cold beverage market, which now accounts for over 75% of their drink sales, making these fruity, caffeinated sips essential for beating the summer heat.

3. Strawberries & Cream Cake Pop (The Sweet Companion)

No trip to Starbucks is complete without a pastry pairing, and the new Strawberries & Cream Cake Pop is the perfect sweet treat for the season.

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• The Dessert Details: This delightful cake pop features a vegetarian-friendly strawberry cream cake mixed with rich buttercream. It is then dipped in a smooth, chocolaty icing and finished with a delicate strawberry design.
• Perfect Pairing: Its light, fruity flavor and creamy texture make it an ideal complement to the bold espresso of the Iced Horchata Shaken Espresso or the tartness of the Summer-Berry Refreshers. It's a low-calorie, high-flavor snack, typically around 150 calories.

Beyond the Mainstream: Starbucks Reserve Summer 2025 Offerings

For the true coffee connoisseur and those seeking an elevated experience, the Starbucks Reserve and Roastery locations often feature an exclusive, limited-time menu that pushes the boundaries of coffee and pastry innovation. The summer of 2025 is no exception, with several high-end entities making an appearance in select markets.

4. The Global-Inspired Reserve Drink Lineup

The Reserve menu is designed to showcase exotic flavors and premium ingredients, offering a more luxurious take on the summer season. Key items spotted for Summer 2025 include:

• Iced Ube Coconut Latte: Tapping into the vibrant purple yam trend, this latte combines the earthy, sweet flavor of ube with creamy coconut milk and espresso.
• Lavender Matcha Malt: A complex, layered beverage that blends the floral notes of lavender with the earthy bitterness of matcha and a rich, malted sweetness.
• Butterfly Tea Spritz: A light, refreshing, and visually stunning spritz that utilizes butterfly pea flower tea for its natural color-changing properties, often mixed with citrus and a hint of sweetness.

These drinks cater to the adventurous palate, providing a deeper dive into unique flavor combinations that extend far beyond the standard menu.

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5. The Rose Pistachio Twice-Baked Cornetto (A Gourmet Treat)

For the food side of the Reserve menu, the Rose Pistachio Twice-Baked Cornetto stands out. A cornetto, similar to a croissant, is baked once, soaked in syrup, filled, and then baked a second time, resulting in a rich, moist, and incredibly flaky pastry.

The combination of delicate rose flavor and crunchy pistachio filling elevates this item from a simple pastry to a true gourmet summer treat. It highlights Starbucks' commitment to offering premium, bakery-quality food items to complement their specialty coffee.

The Cold Beverage Craze and Menu Intentions

The 2025 summer menu is a direct reflection of a massive, long-term shift in consumer behavior. The demand for cold beverages—including iced coffees, Refreshers, and Frappuccinos—continues to surge, especially among younger demographics.

Starbucks strategically designs its summer lineup to capitalize on this trend by introducing drinks like the Iced Horchata Oatmilk Shaken Espresso, which is inherently cold and uses a popular non-dairy alternative (oat milk). This approach not only provides customers with the refreshing sips they crave but also ensures operational efficiency, as cold drinks are often prepared faster than their hot counterparts.

The return of the Summer-Berry Refresher line, along with the consistent availability of favorites like the Pink Drink and the Iced Sugar Cookie Latte (in some regions), ensures that the menu feels both fresh and familiar. This blend of new and returning items is key to maintaining customer excitement throughout the entire summer season, which typically runs from mid-May through early September. The limited-time offer nature of these drinks creates a sense of urgency and curiosity, driving foot traffic to stores.

In conclusion, the Starbucks Summer Menu 2025 is a resounding success, offering a diverse array of flavors from the creamy, spiced comfort of the Iced Horchata Shaken Espresso to the bright, fruity tang of the Summer-Berry Refreshers. Whether you are a dedicated coffee lover or a fan of fruity, non-caffeinated sips, this seasonal menu has delivered a perfect blend of innovation and tradition for the hottest months of the year.