Starbucks' Pink Drink is a viral secret menu success story. Thanks to its beautiful color, it started out as an Instagram darling in 2016 before the coffee mega-chain capitalized on the trend and officially added it to the menu a year later. It's remained a popular non-coffee option ever since.
Now the Pink Drink is unshackling itself from Starbucks locations and heading to grocery and corner stores in bottled form. That means it'll be more convenient to get a hold of — you can stock your fridge for the week and kick your morning Starbucks drive-thru habit — and cheaper than getting it from your local barista.
The caffeinated strawberry drink is available in 14-ounce bottles for $3.49 at Target, or 25 cents per ounce. At a local Starbucks in the Midwest, the 16-ounce grande size Pink Drink is $4.95, or 31 cents per ounce. If all you want is a 12-ounce tall, you'll be paying a whopping 39 cents per ounce. Only when you buy a Starbucks Pink Drink from the chain in huge venti or trenta sizes will you be saving money on Pink Drink per ounce — but don't forget that you're also paying for ice, so you don't actually get 24 or 30 ounces.
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For similar-sized drinks, the bottled version, made with strawberry, acai, and coconut milk, is the cheaper option, especially since there's no barista to tip. The same applies to the Pink Drink's golden pineapple partner, the Paradise Drink, which also is now available in bottles.
While we'd rather not support a company that engages in some serious union busting while also hurting our wallets, it's understandably difficult to kick the caffeine and drive-thru habit. At least this way, you can give less of your hard-earned money to Starbucks.