Starbucks discloses secret menu, announces $25K drink contest

Customizable (and often convoluted) beverages have long been a staple at Starbucks, but the coffee chain announced a novel way to access them and even invent some of your own.

Starbucks customers who use the company's app — reportedly over 31 million people — can now use it to order off the "secret menu," the Seattle-based coffee chain just announced. The secret menu is not as clandestine as it sounds; it's really just customized drinks that put a new spin on the company's lattes, fraps, iced coffees, teas, and lemonades. Besides collecting stars that eventually accrue into free beverages, app users can access the secret menu on the "offers" tab and order directly from it. The first "secret" offerings include a "Cookies on top" cold brew, a "Dragonfruit glow-up" lemonade refresher, a "Lemon, tea & pearls" iced tea, and a "Just add white mocha" iced shaken espresso.

The company stated that the app offerings were inspired by their Not-So-Secret Menu broadcast channel on Instagram. Accessible via Starbucks' Insta bio, the not-so-secret menu channel teases customized drinks (e.g., iced black tea with brown sugar syrup) and other specials.

The secret menu offerings on the app will be updated periodically, and the company is enticing fans to create their own customizable beverages for it. Starbucks is launching a Secret Menu Contest "to celebrate the incredible creativity and passion our customers and partners (employees) bring to Starbucks every day," accepting submissions for customized drinks from July 14 to July 20. Four finalists for best drink will be chosen, and their creations sold on the app from August 18-25; fans will choose the favorite from August 18-20. The finalists will each snag $5,000, while the winner will take home another $25,000. Pumpkin spice tea latte with a shot of mango lemonade, anyone?