How To Create A Starbucks-Worthy Drizzle Effect At Home

Ever since the pandemic began, the at-home barista population has been on the rise. It all started with the dalgona coffee recipe, which empowered us all to make cafe-worthy drinks in our own kitchens. However, this coffee also popularized the use of the handheld milk frother. Back then, this tool was used to whip the sugar, water, and instant coffee mixture that makes dalgona coffee, but today, it has many other creative uses.

The handheld frother is a tool everyone should own. It can froth up any type of milk you use for coffee, create whipped cream, and even make fluffy scrambled eggs. Its lesser-known use is on the more decorative side: Handheld frothers can be used to create a Starbucks-worthy drizzle effect inside a cup. For this popular trick, just dip the frother into caramel or chocolate sauce, hold it level inside a clear glass, and turn the frother on for a brief second, it will flick the sauce into a perfect circle inside the glass. If you do this multiple times, you can create lovely stripes inside the cup that remain visible even after you pour in your iced coffee. It's an aesthetic coffee dream come true.

This drizzle hack works great with sweeteners of a similar consistency to caramel and chocolate syrup. Unless you vigorously stir the drink or scrap the sides, the stripes will take a while to dissolve. So to take advantage of this cute and durable hack, try making drinks that aren't just coffee and use other syrup-like substances. Fruit jam is a great example.

You can make an adorable strawberry milk drink by pouring strawberry jam (or, even better, homemade strawberry jam), into a glass and creating strawberry drizzle rings with the handheld frother. Fill the glass with some ice and milk, and toss in a bunch of freshly diced strawberries for a sweet and refreshing milk drink. To really channel your inner Starbucks, use the strawberry jam drizzle effect in a copycat Starbucks pink drink, inside a fruit tea, or even in strawberry lemonade.

Alternatively, use the drizzle effect for a visually and deliciously perfect matcha drink. Matcha is one of those flavors that works well with lots of others, so anything from chocolate syrup to strawberry jam will taste and look great as a drizzle.