The moment I took a sip of my Starbucks coffee mixed with lemonade I immediately wanted my $4.75 back.
A coworker of mine told me about the trendy iced drink after hearing about it on the radio. He said that some likened it to being like an Arnold Palmer (half iced tea, half lemonade), and even though I’m not much of a coffee drinker these days, I just knew that I had to try it.
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My first trouble was actually getting a Starbucks employee to make me this drink. I mistakingly assumed that every barista had heard of this concoction, but it turns out that the lemonade coffee may not be as trendy as I thought it was.
The look of bewilderment I got from the barista when I asked for an iced coffee filled halfway with lemonade was truly hilarious. Not only did he have no clue what I was talking about, but his apprehension to fulfill my request was hilarious. The entire time he was making my drink he had a look of doom and confusion on his face.
Like I said earlier, my first sip was instant regret. While bitter and sweet can definitely be a delicious flavor combination, the sourness from the lemonade was beyond overpowering. My face puckered, but then the bitter aftertaste of the coffee came in and my tastebuds truly went on a roller coaster ride gone bad.
The walk back to my office I was regretting even thinking that this was a good idea. I kept on thinking who in their right mind would find lemonade coffee enjoyable. There are just things that should never be mixed together, and I was adding lemonade coffee to that list.
But since I spent almost $5 on a small ice coffee (that was filled halfway with lemonade) I felt like I had to give this drink a shot. I hate seeing things go to waste, and I still couldn’t get over the fact that I paid almost $5 for a small coffee.
Perhaps it was my hope to have something good to say about this lemonade coffee, or perhaps it was the ice melting in the drink, but something happened where I actually began to enjoy the drink, as strange as that sounds.
OK, so it was 100% the ice melting, therefore diluting the sourness and sweetness of the drink. After about an hour of letting the ice melt in the drink, it started to taste more like an Arnold Palmer that I’m used to, and less like a cup full of iced garbage.
What I really ended up loving was the buzz I got from the drink. Not only was there the usual caffeine rush, but the sugar from the lemonade was at extra bonus. I realize this is why people add sugar to their coffee, but as someone who normally just drinks it black, the sweetness from the lemonade was a nice treat.
Of course, the question now remains if I would order the lemonade coffee again. To be frank, it’s going to be a hard no.
First of all, I’d like to save myself the embarrassment from ordering another one from a shocked and confused barista again. Looking back on the entire experience, that was by far the worst part.
Like I said earlier, I drink my coffee black, so I don’t really find it enjoyable to drink a sweetened coffee that much.
And lastly, the Arnold Palmer exists for a reason! What is the point of trying to reinvent the wheel when a perfectly good caffeinated beverage mixed with lemonade is already a hit? There is truly no other reason to drink coffee and lemonade together other than to look like you’re ahead on a trend.
So please, world, let this trend die before it ever takes off. Literally every single person I told about this drink was appalled immediately, so let’s just agree to nip this one in the bud before it goes viral on TikTok, OK?
Have you tried lemonade mixed with iced coffee? Did you love it? Hate it? Let us know in the comments below.
