If you’re like me, you are itching to go to Starbucks and get your fave drink but with social distancing and isolation, going to get Starbucks is the last thing you need to do. So here are four Starbucks drinks you can make at home without the use of an espresso machine or a steamer!
*Note: with the current situation going on with COVID-19, do not make special trips just to get these items, you can order them on Amazon, get them delivered, or try and get them when shopping for groceries that week.
- London Fog/ English Breakfast Tea Latte
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This is probably the easiest one to make. All you need is Earl Grey tea for London Fog and English Breakfast Tea for the English Breakfast tea latte. Fill a mug with half hot water with the tea bag and then heat up your milk of choice. If you have a milk frother, you can use that to make the milk foamier or a trick my dad told me, to whisk the hot milk fast and it’ll create a froth. Personally, I use vanilla almond milk, since I drink my E.B.T. latte with vanilla syrup in them instead of classic and London Fogs have vanilla in them. You can order the actual flavored syrup for them off amazon if you want it to be closer to actual Starbucks.
- Matcha Latte (Hot or Iced)
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All you need for this one is green tea matcha powder, something to shake it in, and some milk. It’s more difficult to make this without the shakers that Starbucks has, but I make it in a mason jar with a sealable lid. Put about 2-3 scoops of matcha powder, put in milk of your choice, filling the container with a little more than half and then put ice. This is a bit tricky but you kind of have to eyeball how much ice you want to put in. I usually put in enough so the ice is right below the ridge at the top of the mason jar. Then, you put the lid on and shake it until the powder is mixed in. Some people also put in water to help mix the matcha powder in but I personally don’t like that. For the hot version, pour the amount of milk you want into your mug and then pour that into a small saucepan, then add 2-3 scoops of matcha powder. Lightly mix the milk and matcha powder together. Put the saucepan onto the stove on low-medium heat, let heat to your desired temperature. You can also make this into a frap type drink following the steps of the iced latte but put in a blender instead. You can get matcha powder on amazon or in your local grocery store and you can also add classic syrup or vanilla syrup to this as well.
- Misto
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A misto is half steamed milk half coffee. This one is pretty self-explanatory, but you take freshly brewed coffee and pour halfway into your mug and then take hot milk and pour it into the mug on top of the coffee. It’s kind of like a latte but without the espresso obviously, but it can give you the illusion of a latte.
- Caramel Apple Spice
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This drink is mostly popular during the fall but it’s a nice drink to have year-round. To make this, you do need to get a cinnamon-flavored syrup but if you’re allergic to cinnamon like me, you can get a caramel-flavored syrup and it tastes amazing. You also need apple juice to make this. Heat up the apple juice to your desired temperature, while the apple juice is heating up, add your syrup to your cup. Once the apple juice is heated, pour it into your cup and mix. Add whipped cream and caramel sauce to the top if you want to.
Pro Tip: Don’t add too much syrup if you end up using it if you don’t like things really sweet, just enough to cover the bottom of your cup. Happy drink making!
HCXO, Erika