Refreshers are forecasted to grow 130% on menus over the next four years, according to market research firm Datassential. The relatively new beverage category is off and running this week, with several chains introducing new variations of the cold, fruity and sometimes energizing drinks. Also blooming on menus are floral flavors and bright colors. And bite-size items continue to gain popularity for snacking and mini-meals.
Time to refresh
Dunkin’ rolled out a multitude of new beverages, including four black cherry-flavored refreshers. To start, there’s a simple Black Cherry Refresher with a base choice of water, sparkling water, green tea, black tea, oat milk, lemonade, limeade or coconut milk, all mixed with black cherry flavor. Also on offer is a Cherry Daydream Refresher with oat milk flavored with black cherry and topped with sweet cold foam, and the Very Cherry Daydream Refresher, a blend of black cherry and toasted almond flavors with oat milk, topped with sweet cold foam. Last up is the Cherry Protein Daydream Refresher made with protein milk topped with sweet cold foam. Other new drinks include Limeade, Dunkin’ Dirty Soda (Pepsi, coffee milk and sweet cold foam), Oreo Cloud Latte, Oreo Matcha, Oreo Coolatta and several Coffee Chillers flavored with Oreo, Caramel Crème and Triple Mocha.
Black cherry flavors Dunkin's refreshers. | Photo courtesy of Dunkin'
A trio of refreshers made their debut at McDonald’s, all with a lemonade base and all caffeinated. The lineup includes a Strawberry Watermelon Refresher with strawberry and watermelon flavors mixed into lemonade along with freeze-dried strawberries, while the Mango Pineapple Refresher features mango and pineapple flavors with lemonade and strawberry popping boba. The third drink is a Blackberry Passion Fruit Refresher with blackberry and passion fruit flavor and pieces of freeze-dried dragon fruit. McDonald’s is making a big push to lure fans of colorful, Instagrammable beverages. Along with Refreshers, the fast-food chain launched a Dirty Dr Pepper, the Orange Dream with a base of Hi-C Orange Lavaburst, and Sprite Berry Blast with blue raspberry syrup; all are topped with cold foam.
Expanding coffee chain Scooter’s is keeping pace with six Red Bull Infusions, all made with Red Bull Yellow Edition. Cherry Cove has tart cherry and coconut flavors, Dragon Nectar boasts dragon fruit and mango flavors, Electric Lime is flavored with blue raspberry and lime, and Golden Coast leans into peach and mango. Rounding out the collection is Lavender Haze with strawberry and lavender flavors and Sunkissed Strawberry with strawberry and pineapple. All the drink combos can also be ordered as sparkling sodas or lemonades without the jolt of Red Bull.
New sippable items are coming out of Shake Shack too. Strawberry Lemonade and Tropical Mango Lemonade both feature fruit purees blended into lemonade, while Sparkling Cucumber Basil is cucumber and basil puree topped with sparkling water. The fast casual also launched a limited-time barbecue menu, with a Smoky Classic BBQ Chicken Sandwich, Smoky Classic BBQ Burger and, moving into McDonald’s territory, a BBQ Boneless Baby Back Rib Sandwich. The ribs are marinated in a barbecue spice blend and slow cooked for nine hours, then served on a toasted potato bun with coleslaw and pickles. On the side are Spicy Fries with Ranch, Spicy Cheese Fries with Ranch and Mac & Cheese.
Chili's gets into boba with its margarita. | Photo courtesy of Chili's
Spirited warm-weather refreshers are happening too. Chili’s introduced the Popping Boba Marg, a mix of tequila, lemon vodka, watermelon syrup, sour mix and dragon fruit popping boba, along with a spirit-free Popping Boba Lemonade. Velvet Taco is offering a Spicy Pineapple Margarita, while Taco Cabana is going zero-proof by adding Cabana Refreshers Fizz to the permanent menu. The category includes a variety of fruit-flavored beverages made with 7Up. And Fogo de Chao lightens up with a spritz, adding the refreshing Sunset Crush to its cocktail list. The drink is made with tequila, Aperol, strawberry, blackberry and raspberry and with lime and club soda.
Say it with flowers
With Mother’s Day coming up next Sunday, floral flavors are on the rise. Peets Coffee is introducing a limited-time Rosy Matcha Latte, a drink layered with lavender and rose syrups with milk and ceremonial-grade matcha. The floral-inspired iced treat creates an aromatic flavor profile that leans slightly sweet with an herbaceous, earthy finish.
Celebrating floral flavors at Peet's. | Photo courtesy of Peet's Coffee
The May Flower Series at Salt & Straw features five aromatic, floral-forward ice cream flavors. Jasmine Milk Tea Almond Stracciatella folds dark chocolate almond stracciatella into jasmine tea-steeped cream; Strawberry Tres Leches has a base of strawberry ice cream swirled with bits of tres leches cake and strawberry jam; and Rhubarb Crumble with Toasted Anise blends tart roasted rhubarb into vanilla ice cream enhanced with toasted anise crumble. Two sherbets round out the collection: Saffron Milk with Wildflower Honey, a saffron-infused milk sherbet sweetened with honey, and Coffee Chamomile Sherbet, cold brew coffee sherbet with flowery chamomile.
Vibrant color is the draw at Van Leeuwen, where purple-hued Ube Coconut is the latest limited-time flavor. The ice cream chain partnered with King’s Hawaiian to highlight the brand’s viral Ube Coconut Rolls in an ice cream sandwich. The collab transforms the beloved rolls into a custom Ube Coconut ice cream that can also be had by the scoop.
Take a bite
Four snackable “bombs” hit Pokeworks’ menu. The grab-and-go tofu pockets are filled with rice and topped with a variety of ingredients. Ahi Tuna Poke Bombs feature two sweet inari tofu pockets, stuffed with white rice and topped with ahi tuna, soy glaze, sesame seeds and scallions; Fresh Salmon Poke Bombs swap salmon for tuna. There’s also California Poke Bombs topped with surimi and avocado with the same soy glaze, sesame seeds and scallions, and Dynamite Lobster Poke Bombs topped with lobster drizzled with Sriracha aioli and finished with soy glaze, sesame seeds and serrano peppers.
Poke Bombs make easy grab-and-go snacks at Pokeworks. | Photo courtesy of Pokeworks
&pizza takes snacks to the sweet side with Fruity Crispy Little Dippers. The fried dough bites incorporate fruity, crispy cereal and are topped with vanilla icing, then served with a dip of fruity-vanilla icing for sweet dunking.
Mini cinnamon rolls frosted with butterbeer-flavored frosting are the newest iteration from Cinnabon. A pack of 15 Mini Bons is $29.99, but larger rolls are also available individually and in six-packs. The new profile extends to a Butterbeer-flavored Chillatta, an iced blended beverage with butterbeer and vanilla flavors.
Odds and ends
Breakfast at a salad chain? Salad & Go is moving into morning with eight permanent breakfast items, including four breakfast burrito-inspired choices that can also be ordered as a bowl. Authentic ingredients like Oaxaca cheese, salsa verde and spicy adobo accompany the different egg-based builds. Also on offer are four breakfast quesadillas, starting with the Egg & Cheese, with turkey sausage, bacon and oven-roasted potatoes available in the variations.
Check out the complete rundown of launches and new LTOs at restaurant chains this week.
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