✔ Updated · new hibiscus-grape base, how to stop curdling, real calories
This is my homemade copycat of the creamy lavender-purple drink fans call the Starbucks Violet Drink. I love how tart and berry-bright it tastes, and how pretty it looks in a tall glass of ice.
At a glance
The one tip that matters: Use coconutmilk from a carton, not canned coconut milk. It is thinner, mixes smoothly with the tart tea and is far less likely to curdle.
Chilled hibiscus tea and white grape juice give it a sweet-tart berry flavor, coconutmilk makes it smooth and creamy, and freeze-dried blackberries add the deep purple color. It takes about 10 minutes of hands-on time plus chilling the tea, costs a fraction of a coffee-shop drink and lets you control how sweet it is. Shaking it hard, the way baristas do, keeps the coconutmilk from separating.
Why You'll Love This Purple Drink
- Five easy ingredients: hibiscus tea, white grape juice, coconutmilk, blackberries and ice.
- You control the sweetness, from fully unsweetened to as sweet as the coffee-shop drink.
- Batch-friendly: brew a big jar of hibiscus tea and shake up a drink in a minute all week.
What Is the Starbucks Violet Drink?
The Violet Drink is one of the coffee shop's colorful coconutmilk drinks, alongside the Pink Drink. It pairs a tangy berry hibiscus base with creamy coconutmilk and blackberries, so it tastes sweet, tart and slightly tropical, with a soft lavender-purple color.
Coffee-shop menus change often, so I find this homemade version the easiest way to get the same style of drink any time. It is an inspired-by recipe built from simple grocery-store ingredients, not the chain's own formula.
Ingredients and Swaps
- Hibiscus tea: the tart, ruby-red base. Use dried hibiscus flowers or hibiscus tea bags. A hibiscus-based herbal tea blend or passion-style herbal tea works too.
- White grape juice: adds the fruity sweetness of a refresher base. Apple juice or a mixed berry juice is a good swap.
- Coconutmilk: the creamy part. Carton coconutmilk is best. Oat milk or almond milk work, with a drop of coconut extract if you want the coconut flavor.
- Blackberries: freeze-dried for the deepest color, or fresh or frozen. Freeze-dried blueberries also give a purple drink.
- Sweetener (optional): simple syrup, honey or a sugar-free syrup, to taste.
Step-by-Step Photos
Here's how it comes together. Exact amounts, times and temperatures are in the recipe card below.
Tips for Success
- Chill everything first. Warm tea plus cold coconutmilk is the most common reason the drink separates. Make sure the hibiscus tea is fully cold before you shake. I brew mine the night before and leave the jar in the fridge door.
- Shake, don't stir. A hard 10 to 15 second shake emulsifies the coconutmilk into the tart tea, giving the smooth, even lavender color.
- Serve it right away. Like most tea and milk drinks, it slowly separates as it sits. If it does, give it a stir or shake it again.
- Pick your berries. Freeze-dried blackberries give the deepest color and soften as you drink. Fresh or frozen blackberries work too; frozen ones keep the drink extra cold.
- Adjust the sweetness. White grape juice already sweetens the drink. Taste before adding syrup, and use honey, simple syrup or a sugar-free syrup to taste.
- Want caffeine? Brew the hibiscus with 1 green tea bag, or add a splash of green coffee extract, to make an energizing version.
Starbucks-Style Violet Drink (Purple Drink)
1
grande (16 oz) drink5
minutes110
kcal40
minutesA homemade copycat of the Starbucks Violet Drink: chilled hibiscus tea and white grape juice shaken with coconutmilk and poured over ice and freeze-dried blackberries for a creamy, sweet-tart purple drink.
Ingredients
- For the Hibiscus Tea
1 cup water
1 tablespoon dried hibiscus flowers (or 2 hibiscus tea bags)
2 teaspoons simple syrup or honey (optional)
- For the Drink
1/4 cup white grape juice
1/2 cup coconutmilk beverage (carton, not canned)
2 tablespoons freeze-dried blackberries (or 4 to 5 fresh blackberries)
1 cup ice cubes
Directions
- Brew the Hibiscus Tea
- Bring the water to a boil and pour it over the dried hibiscus flowers or tea bags in a heatproof jug. Steep for 5 minutes, then strain. Stir in the simple syrup or honey if you like a sweeter drink.
- Let the tea cool, then refrigerate for at least 30 minutes until cold. You only need 1/2 cup per drink; the rest keeps in the fridge for up to 3 days.
- Shake and Serve
- Add 1/2 cup cold hibiscus tea, the white grape juice, the coconutmilk and a handful of ice to a cocktail shaker or a jar with a tight lid. Shake hard for 10 to 15 seconds until frothy and evenly purple.
- Put the blackberries in a 16-ounce glass and fill it with ice. Pour the shaken drink over the top, stir once and serve right away.
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Variations
- Violet lemonade: swap the coconutmilk for cold lemonade for a bright, tangy, dairy-free purple drink.
- Unsweetened: skip the syrup and use unsweetened coconutmilk for a lighter, tarter drink.
- Blended: blend all the ingredients with 1 1/2 cups of ice for a frosty purple slush.
- Big batch: multiply the tea and juice, keep the base in a jar in the fridge for up to 3 days, and shake each drink with coconutmilk to order.
More Starbucks-Style Drinks to Make at Home
Make a colorful flight with our Pink Drink, strawberry acai refresher and passion tea lemonade. For something warm or creamy, try the white chocolate mocha, iced matcha latte or browse all our Starbucks copycat recipes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is in the Starbucks Violet Drink?
The Violet Drink is a berry hibiscus refresher-style base shaken with coconutmilk and poured over ice with blackberries. This copycat uses chilled hibiscus tea and white grape juice for the base, plus coconutmilk and freeze-dried blackberries.
Does the Violet Drink have caffeine?
Coffee-shop refresher bases usually contain a little caffeine from green coffee extract. This homemade version is caffeine-free as written. For a lift, brew a green tea bag with the hibiscus or add a little green coffee extract.
Why did my coconut milk curdle?
Hibiscus tea is acidic, so warm tea or thick canned coconut milk can split. I learned that with a speckled first glass; now I use fully cold tea and carton coconutmilk, and shake hard with ice. If small flecks still form, a quick stir brings it back together.
What is the difference between the Pink Drink and the Violet Drink?
Both are a fruity base shaken with coconutmilk. The Pink Drink uses a strawberry acai base with strawberries, while the Violet Drink uses a berry hibiscus base with blackberries, giving it a tarter flavor and a purple color.
How many calories are in this purple drink?
About 110 calories for a 16-ounce drink made with 2 teaspoons of simple syrup. Skip the syrup and use unsweetened coconutmilk to bring it down to roughly 70 calories.
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