Taste the rainbow — without all the unnecessary calories.
Gut-busting fast-food drinks have nabbed recent social-media buzz for their multichromatic flair, but their high doses of sugar have brought with them harsh doses of reality. Starbucks’ limited-edition Unicorn Frappuccino, which ended its five-day run on Sunday, contained up to 76 grams of sugar, while Burger King’s new Froot Loops Shake has a whopping 103 grams.
But health-conscious New Yorkers have a vibrant — as well as vegan and gluten-free — version of the treat, which comes with just a pinch of coconut sugar: The flashy Rainbow Iced Latte at the Chinatown cafe the Good Sort.
“There’s a lot of hype about it, and people want to try it because it’s gorgeous,” says manager Kate Ross, 34. This medium-size beverage, which sets you back $8, has been an Instagram hit ever since it was added to the menu in March.
Despite the name, the Rainbow Iced Latte contains no coffee. The red stripe is a mix of beetroot and oat milk. The yellow stripe contains turmeric powder, ginger, vanilla, black pepper, cayenne pepper and coconut sugar mixed with almond milk. It’s crowned by a blend that includes blue algae.
The result is creamy in texture, with a taste that’s sweet and accented with subtle pepper flavors.
‘There’s a lot of hype about it, and people want to try it because it’s gorgeous.’
But it’s the nutrients that count: Both beetroot and turmeric are anti-inflammatory, while blue algae, an extract of spirulina, is nutrient-dense with proteins, vitamins and antioxidants.
“It’s an alternative to coffee — most of these things give you a boost, anyway,” says Ross.
First-time Rainbow Iced Latte drinkers Emily Pidgeon, 24, and her roommate Alison Inglis, 27, heard about the treat online and visited the cafe during lunchtime on Tuesday. They say they’ll return.
“It makes you feel healthy,” says Inglis, though she admits she found the ingredient list a bit off-putting at first. “It’s so unusual, but you don’t even taste [the pepper].”
Pidgeon, meanwhile, thought it was a better alternative to the Unicorn Frappuccino.
“I read what was in [that] and I was like, ‘I’m going to get diabetes.’ ”