When it rains, it pours, and right now, it’s bucketing down Frappuccino: A new treat has joined the Starbucks blended beverage lineup, and with a name like “Caramel Waffle Cone Frappuccino”… well, let’s just say that it sounds fittingly spectacular. So, when can we get the Starbucks Caramel Waffle Cone Frappuccino? How long have we got to enjoy it? Will it be as fleeting as some of the other limited edition drinks Starbucks has bestowed upon us this year? I’ve got good news on that front: You’ve actually got all summer to get your Caramel Waffle Cone Frapp on, because come on. Did you really think the S’mores Frappuccino would be the only way Starbucks celebrated the sunshine and warm weather?
A brand new beverage for the 2016 summer season, the Caramel Waffle Cone Frappuccino takes its inspiration from the boardwalks that feature so prominently in classic seaside towns — think Atlantic City in New Jersey, Brooklyn’s Coney Island in New York, and even southern California’s Santa Monica Pier. What’s so boardwalk-y about a waffle cone? Well, duh: Ice cream. Boardwalk food is kind of the best, and nothing beats a giant waffle cone filled with your favorite ice cream flavor and smothered in caramel sauce. Accordingly, the Caramel Waffle Cone Frapp features waffle cone syrup and dark caramel sauce, topped off with whipped cream, waffle cone pieces, and more dark caramel sauce. Uh, yes please.
Yes, that is a bear eating an ice cream cone. Why do you ask?
And here’s where the news gets even better: The Caramel Waffle Cone Frappuccino is available at participating Starbucks locations in the United States and Canada starting on May 3 (that’s today, y’all) — and it’ll be available all summer while supplies last. It’s still a limited seasonal release, but it’s more like, say, the S’mores Frappuccino than the Birthday Cake Frappuccino: You can get a hold of it for more than a few days at a time. So although I would definitely opt for trying it out sooner, rather than later — just, y’know, in case supplies don’t last — you can be a little more leisurely with it. Because it’s summer, and it’s too dang hot to move that fast.
Fun fact: The history of the waffle cone itself dates back to the turn of the century. In 1896, Italo Marchiony, who had emigrated to New York from Italy in the late 19th century, invented the first ice cream cone; he secured the patent in 1903. The creation of the ice cream cone is actually kind of like the discovery of calculus, though — two people came up with the idea independently of each other, so generally they’re both attributed for its invention. In 1904, Ernest A. Hamwi, who had emigrated from Syria, was selling a waffle-like pastry called a zalabi at the St. Louis World’s Fair when the booth next to him — an ice cream booth — ran out of dishes. As a solution, Hamwi rolled up one of his pastries and gave it to the ice cream vendor as a substitute dish for the scoops. Neat-o, right?
These days, waffle cone creation looks more like this:
Also neat-o. Because food factories are fascinating.
The Caramel Waffle Cone Frappuccino ranges in price from $4.25 to $4.95 for a 12-ounce Tall, depending on the market. Happy summer, y’all!
Images: Starbucks; Giphy (2)
