I Tried Starbucks' Wicked Drinks & I’m All In On The Hype

Some things I cannot change, but my drink preferences are apparently not one of them. You see, I’m not typically a fan of caffeinated beverages (besides matcha lattes) — but I am a fan of musicals, Wicked being one of my absolute faves. So when Starbucks announced its launch of sips inspired by the upcoming movie musical’s leading duo, I closed my eyes and leapt to the closest location of the coffee giant.

On Tuesday, Oct. 22, exactly one month ahead of the release of the Wicked movie, Starbucks is dropping two limited-time sips tied to the highly anticipated project: Glinda's Pink Potion, a magenta concoction meant to evoke the essence of Ariana Grande’s whimsical character, and Elphaba's Cold Brew, a green and brown blend based on Cynthia Erivo’s deliciously wicked onscreen alter ego.

Prior to the pair’s official unveiling, I was able to taste-test both caffeinated mixes. Below, you’ll find a self-proclaimed Starbucks newbie’s honest reviews of the new Wicked drinks.

Glinda’s Pink Potion Leans More Toward Another Fave

This bright confection, which ranges from $5.95-$6.95 for a grande, is essentially the Mango Dragonfruit Starbucks Refreshers Beverage — a hand-shaken iced treat with freeze-dried dragonfruit and mango that typically has around 45 mg of caffeine from green coffee extract — but with creamy coconut milk instead of water. In other words, it’s literally Starbucks’ Dragon Drink.

The only difference between the two is that Glinda’s Pink Potion is topped with nondairy strawberry cold foam and an “Oz-dusting of magic” (aka colorful candy sprinkles).

Upon first glance, I was a little confused by its appearance. It was giving off major Barbiecore vibes rather than Glindacore with its bold magenta coloring; the good witch’s entire wardrobe is much more of a soft, pale pink.

No one told me it tastes like ice cream!

Color aside, the first thing I did was scrape off and sample some of the strawberry cold foam, which I’ve never had before and now I want to put it on top of everything. No one told me it tastes like ice cream!

Tasting the beverage as a whole, I feel like the cold foam got a bit lost, though I did appreciate the texture from the sprinkles. The Dragon Drink itself was delightfully creamy and definitely dragonfruit-forward. The one ding I had against it was that the fruit chunks got stuck in the lid, making it hard to drink.

Elphaba’s Cold Brew May Remind You Of A Holiday Sip

The brat autumn-esque bev, which ranges from $5.25-$5.95 for a grande, is Starbucks Cold Brew sweetened with peppermint-flavored syrup and topped with nondairy matcha cold foam and its own “Oz-dusting of magic” — *green* candy sprinkles.

The color palette for this one is also slightly off — it’s pale green and coffee bean brown versus the deep emerald and charcoal black tones Elphaba is known for.

I’ve clearly been missing out all of these years.

As I did with its pink counterpart, I tried the cold foam first, and this one tasted like matcha ice cream. I’ve clearly been missing out all of these years.

Once again, the delicious foam was overpowered by the accompanying liquid, but the texture from the sprinkles was welcome. And I will say, as a non-connoisseur of coffee, I was pleasantly pleased with the so-called wicked witch’s brew. It tasted like a peppermint-flavored iced coffee, not unlike the TikTok-beloved Peppermint Mocha Cold Brew from Starbucks’ secret holiday menu. The only thing missing was the essence of chocolate.

TL;DR: I get the hype around themed Starbucks sips. I may be a convert.

There’s Starbucks x Wicked Merch, Too

Taking things one step further, Starbucks is launching a selection of Wicked-inspired Starbucks gift cards, available on Oct. 22 alongside the drinks. Two weeks later, on Nov. 7, customers may be able to snag some limited-edition merch including cold cups ($27.95+) and tumblers ($29.95+) at select stores while supplies last.

No one mourns the wicked, but you might mourn *not* getting your hands on any of these exclusive items while you can.