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Starbucks collaborates with Ariana Grande on launch of Cloud Macchiato

March 5, 2019

Starbucks is offering an updated version of its classic caramel macchiato, called the cloud macchiato, and has tapped pop icon, Ariana Grande, to help market the drink featuring whipped cold milk foam. It's available in two flavors, caramel and cinnamon.

We've long been fans of Ariana Grande’s and we’re both fans of Clouds —so we were excited to work with her to celebrate the debut of Cloud Macchiato," according to a Starbucks spokesperson.

Grande and Starbucks tweeted identical tweets Monday featuring cloud and coffee emojis, which sparked excitement from fans via social media. 

The cloud macchiato, as a Starbucks blog noted, arrives nearly three decades after its initial macchiato offerings in the late 1980s. It can be ordered either as a hot or cold drink and will be a permanent addition to the menu.

The addition draws inspiration, according to Starbucks, from the leche merengada, or "meringue milk," a summer drink from the cafés of Spain. Starbucks' in-house development team created a special recipe for 'cloud powder,' using egg whites as a key ingredient to create fluffy foam.

"The original Spanish beverage combines cinnamon and lemon zest, with a frothy texture which inspired us to reinvent the beverage as a macchiato," said Erin Marinan, of the Starbucks research and development team, in the announcement. "The texture of the cloud macchiato is luxurious and by adding espresso and our Starbucks signature caramel cross-hatch, we're making it ours and opening up even more ways we can bring new beverage experiences to our customers."