Cloud Macchiato, Starbucks latest drink, is made with egg-white powder
The new drink, which comes ice or hot, will be served in stores in the US and Canada, and is a permanent addition to the menu.
It's a way for Starbucks to create growth in its successful series of cold drinks – and help create excitement around new cold drinks as customers move from Frappuccinos.
For the skymacchiato, Starbucks took inspiration from a Spanish drink called leche merengada, or "merengue milk". "An internal team developed a recipe for the ski powder containing white white and milk for a meringue-like texture. The resulting foam is comparable to Starbucks cold foam, which it introduced mostly last year.
Sky macchiato comes in caramel and cinnamon flavor
The coffee company first dreamed the cloud macchiato on the investor day in December as an example of how the company innovates its iced drinks. Cold drinks "have contributed more than 80% of our beverage growth over the past two years," said Starbucks Chief Operations Officer Rosalind Brewer
"We have long been fans of Ariana Grande and were happy to work with her to celebrate our common love for the clouds," said a Starbucks spokesman for the reports.
For Starbucks, innovations in cold drinks – and buzz from celebrities with large social media – can help lure customers who have lost interest in Frappuccinos.
Instagrammable Frappuccinos are used to sell for Starbucks. But in recent years, customers have turned into sugary mixed drinks. For the first time last year, the company expanded a happy hour campaign to include drinks beyond Frappuccinos, and limited discounts to customers registering online or using the Starbucks app.
