I had the new Starbucks spicy drinks so you don’t have to - masslive.com

The new Starbucks Spice Lemonade Refreshers, including strawberry (left), dragonfruit (center) and pineapple (right).(Nick O'Malley, MassLive)

I liked the new Spicy Lemonade Refreshers from Starbucks more than I thought I would. They hit that fun, spicy-sweet combination in a delightful way -- like you get in pineapple salsa or a spicy margarita.

That is except for the strawberry one. Tom Brady’s least favorite fruit is the odd flavor out in this one.

The other flavors make sense. We have dragonfruit and pineapple as the tropical flavors, which mesh well with the lemonade. Then we have strawberry, which feels out of place. It’s like the one friend from the city who won’t cut loose on vacation, showing up to the beach with business-casual slacks and a laptop “in case something comes up with work.”

A post shared by Nick O'Malley (@nickateit)

Earlier this week, Starbucks added “spicy drinks” to its list of menu items that no one asked for but we’re getting anyway (joining the ranks of the biohazard Oleato olive oil coffee and the abominable Unicorn Frappuccino).

The new line of Refreshers start with a basic lemonade refresher and are flavored with Starbucks’ “Spicy Chili Powder Blend.” You then add your choice of fruit: strawberry, dragonfruit or pineapple.

Let me be clear: These do have a little bit of kick. These aren’t five-alarm ghost pepper drinks loaded with Frank’s Red Hot. But they will coat your mouth with a mild glow of heat from that chili powder. As a person who likes spicy foods every now and then, I found this to be a pleasant amount of heat. You can also go light or heavy with the chili powder if you prefer.

Just make sure not to accidentally have some go down the wrong pipe. You’ll start coughing like a crazy person. Or so I hear. That definitely didn’t happen to me.

Dragonfruit Spicy Lemonade Refresher - In terms of spiciness from the chili powder, this was the most mellow of the bunch. The berry-like sweetness of the dragonfruit made each sip a little less intense than the others, lowering the volume of the spice with a more dark-tart flavor foundation. If you want just a little spice in your drink to complement the fruit, go with this one.

Pineapple Spicy Lemonade Refresher - The pineapple refresher goes in the opposite direction. In each sip, you get a nice mixture of bright, tropical sweetness that blends well with the heat. This is the flavor that was most like a spicy margarita, dialing up the sweetness and heat a little bit more. If you want to lean into a more prominent spicy-sweet combo, this is the choice.

Strawberry Spicy Lemonade Refresher - I don’t know if strawberry was the right flavor to round out this trio. It’s OK. However, the strawberry taste doesn’t mesh as well with the spiciness as the other ones do. By itself, strawberry is an awesome flavor. But i don’t think the chili powder takes too well to it. The rosy that you get in strawberry creates some dissonance, something you don’t get in the other flavors.

Two out of the three are. Go for pineapple or dragonfruit. Or just get a normal lemonade. You don’t actually have to order this at all. See at the top? It says it in the headline, “You don’t have to.”

At a certain point, it feels like Starbucks is just coming up with new flavors and concepts just so they have something they can put out there every few months.

The worst part is that it absolutely works. I sit here thinking I’m above it all. But the moment Starbucks comes out with spicy drinks, I’m there. If Starbucks announces in a couple of months that they’re going to have carbonated seltzer coffee and mushroom lattes, yes, I’ll complain. But since I’m a sucker, I’ll be there.

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Follow me on social media for more food shenanigans on Instagram (@NickAteIt) and TikTok (also @NickAteIt).

“I ate it so you don’t have to” is a regular food column looking at off-beat eats, both good and bad. I picked the name years ago and now we’re sort of stuck with it.

You can send any praise/food suggestions to [email protected]. Please send all criticisms and questions about Tom Brady hating strawberries to [email protected]. You can check out the rest of the series here.

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