Review: One Sip Of Starbucks' Hannah Montana Popstar Refresher Had Me Saying "Sweet Niblets!"

Hannah Montana mania has returned. Miley Cyrus' Disney Channel character was the envy of her loyal fans and a beloved member of Disney Channel history. The basic premise of the show was that an average girl secretly lived the life of a world-famous pop star, boasting a blonde wig and singing to screaming fans. Her secret was a closely guarded one and was often a major plot point in episodes. The show ran from 2006 to 2011, eventually launching the musical celebrity Miley Cyrus into real life superstardom. Disney Plus has released a 20th Anniversary Special to celebrate 20 years since the very first episode's air date on March 24, 2006. Starbucks is also celebrating this celebrity right alongside millennials across the country with the release of Hannah's Secret Popstar Refresher.

Though the drink isn't on Starbucks' official menu, customers can order it for a limited time through the app by opening a message announcing the drink and selecting "order now." Alternatively, customers can order in person by requesting a grande Strawberry Acai Refresher with no strawberry inclusions, two pumps of raspberry syrup, and raspberry cream cold foam on top. 

The resulting drink is deep pink, topped with pastel cold foam. It sure is pretty, but I wondered if it would be any good. To celebrate Hannah's 20th anniversary, I ordered the drink to try it out.

I decided if this drink is worth your time by determining if the flavor and texture were ones I enjoy. Ideally, the combination of additions would make for a drink that was fruity without being syrupy, and creamy without seeming like ice cream. 

I placed this order through the app, utilizing a message that Starbucks had sent out with the promotion. Even though Starbucks created it all on its own, it was billed as a secret menu item to perfectly tie into the secrecy surrounding the woman of the hour, Hannah Montana.

With my first sip, I got a very strong taste of raspberry syrup. It was a bit much. What I wanted to translate as sweet and fruity was medicinal and artificial. Admittedly, I am normally a fan of fruity drinks, so my reaction surprised me. I expected to like this one. I also was not a fan of how the cold foam reacted to the refresher liquid. There were floating flecks of a milky substance that just didn't look appetizing. I wasn't ready to give up, though, so I kept sipping. Then, finally, I gave it a few good swirls to incorporate the cold foam more fully and everything changed.

Like Miley becoming Hannah Montana, the drink transformed, losing its speckle milk separation and turning a creamy pink color. The flavors balanced themselves out, and I was left with a sip that no longer felt fake and medicinally fruity, but rather candy-like. In fact, it reminded me of those Creme Savers hard candy, a perfect balance of fruitiness and cream. 

When I get cold foam, I typically drink the cold foam little by little with each sip of liquid. In the case of this not-so-secret menu drink, though, it really needs to be fully integrated.

If you like the raspberry syrup at Starbucks (and were devastated when you had to say goodbye to this favorite Starbucks flavor), then you'll love this drink. It's not ultra refreshing, but with some good swirls, it is smooth and fruity. As long as you go in and expect to integrate everything together, it is worth a try.

If you're looking for ways to make it even better, I would try this as a Strawberry Acai Lemonade Refresher for the base. I think the lemonade would be just enough to help complement the fruitiness and add some tang. This might lessen the need to combine the drink and the cold foam, but you still may want to be ready for some stirring. 

You might also want to try a pink drink as the base. That coconut would certainly complement the creaminess, and the raspberry syrup would help cut through some of that blandness coconut milk sometimes creates.

Since Hannah's Secret Popstar Refresher is a brand-created "secret menu" offering, there is no official nutritional information listed. Instead, we have to piece together some information to help get us close. A grande Strawberry Açaí Refresher has 100 calories, 23 grams of carbohydrates, 21 grams of sugars, and between 45 and 55 milligrams of caffeine. The amount of caffeine for Hannah's Secret Popstar Refresher would be the same as a basic Starbucks Strawberry Açaí Refresher's caffeine load since nothing about the refresher base is altered with the drink.

With two pumps of raspberry syrup and the raspberry cream cold foam (which includes both raspberry and vanilla syrup with vanilla sweet cream), the calories and sugars are going up by roughly 240 calories and 26 grams of sugars and carbohydrates, numbers I'm estimating based on similar drinks' construction. In the end, a grande version of Hannah's Secret Popstar Refresher will be roughly 340 calories with approximately 49 grams of carbohydrates and an estimated 47 grams of sugars.

Miley's real identity may have been tough for fans to track down throughout the series, but this drink will be at your finger tips as long as you want it. Since Starbucks' raspberry syrup is back for good, all you'll need to do is order the Strawberry Acai Refresher with the necessary modifications to get the drink after the promotion concludes on April 5, right around the time Starbucks' mid-spring menu hits cafes. But if you're catching the drink between March 23 to April 5, you'll be able to order the drink with a quick button click from the app.

While you may be able to walk up and ask for a Hannah Montana drink at some locations that have seen the drink come through a few times, you may run into baristas who are less familiar. As a former Starbucks barista, I can tell you that it's always a good idea to know exactly what's in the drink when you go to order it. This is especially true with Starbucks' secret menu drinks, even when the brand creates them.