On October 22nd of 2024, the jaws of Wicked fans all over the world dropped at the announcement of Starbucks’ new limited-time gravity defying drinks. These novelties became popular in an instant, catching the attention of OHS students and thousands of Wicked fans.
These drinks, eye candy for fans of both fancy coffee and Wicked, come with names as magical as the characters they represent. The first drink is a specially crafted matcha cold brew called “Elphaba’s Cold Brew.” The second is a radiant dragon fruit refresher dubbed “Glinda’s Pink Potion.” Despite contrasting in flavor, fans have described both as being a delight to drink.
Nolan O’Connell, OHS junior and Starbucks employee, was able to explain what exactly went into the drinks. He stated that Glinda’s Cold Brew is “a mango dragon fruit [refresher], which [has] coconut milk; and it’s topped off with a strawberry cold foam or non-dairy cold foam, which is a little bit more wet compared to [the] normal one.”
On the other hand, O’Connell explains Elphaba’s Cold Brew as “a sweet cold brew with a matcha non-dairy cold foam.” He didn’t have much else to say about the cold brew, explaining it was much simpler to make than Glinda’s Pink Potion. Both drinks are topped with pink and green sprinkles.
Overall, the general consensus seems to prefer Glinda’s Pink Potion over Elphaba’s Cold Brew. Fans have described the taste to be more fluffy and light, preferring the powerful pop of dragon fruit over the combination of matcha and coffee. YouTuber Megan Gill posted a review on her YouTube channel, explaining she liked it more because “it reminded her of the Pink Drink; the cold foam makes it more creamy.” You can find Gill’s review by clicking here. (Link to video)
O’Connell himself even expressed his liking towards the Pink Potion, explaining he preferred it over the Starbucks matcha taste that the Cold Brew gave. “The matcha [at] Starbucks is not the best; I work there and I hate to like, hate on any of our drinks,” O’Connell expressed, “but the matcha isn’t very good.”
The green, or the pink? Tell us what you think with this poll! (Link to poll) Whether fans prefer Elphaba’s Cold Brew or Glinda’s Pink Potion, one thing’s for sure: these drinks have raised the Wicked movie’s hype by a thousand fold.
