SEATTLE -- Forget whipped cream, vanilla syrup and coconut flakes, a new Starbucks drink comes adorned with a slab of jerky.
A complete 180 from the nauseatingly sugary unicorn frappuccino that took the nation by storm this spring, Starbucks' Pepper Nitro with a Jerky Twist takes a cue from the flavors of the Congo. The coffee is slow-steeped as cold brew and served on draft through a nitro tap, according to Starbucks, and then finished off with an infusion of malted fennel and black pepper syrup.
[Ads /]
Honey cold foam sits atop the coffee, and baristas finish the drink off with cracked peppercorn and a skewer of beef jerky.
"The sweet and herbal spice notes naturally paired well with savory ingredients," Raegan Powell with Starbucks R&D said of the drink. "We want to celebrate our passion for coffee, but also create the unexpected with flavors that we know Roastery customers love."
[Ads /]
The drink, which is part of the company's charitable efforts to rebuild Congo's coffee industry, is available at Starbucks' Seattle Reserve Roastery for a limited time.