How to Make Starbucks Summer Berries Refresher — Copycat

What you need

• drink shaker
• 22 oz cup with lid
• wide-bore straw
• measuring cup or pump dispenser
• ice scoop

Method

1. Pour 30 ml of blueberry syrup into the shaker — 4 pumps if your dispenser delivers 7.5 ml per pump

   The creator reduces the usual 60 ml of sweetener to 30 ml because the popping boba already adds considerable sweetness

   Expert tipTo cut cost, you can replace half the blueberry syrup with plain sugar syrup, though the creator cautions this may reduce the depth of blue color

2. Add your chosen base liquid to the shaker: about 100 ml of cold water for the water version; the juice of one whole lime plus a small amount of water for the lemonade version; or roughly half your coconut milk for the Summer Skies version

   Lime is used in place of lemon in the creator's version, described as more sour and more readily available

3. Add ice to the shaker and shake vigorously

   Vigorous shaking creates the lightly frothy top characteristic of the drink

4. Add 3 scoops of popping boba (about 90 g) to the bottom of a 22 oz cup

   The creator notes 2 scoops is an option; 3 scoops matches the Starbucks portion

5. Fill the cup with ice

6. Pour the shaken mixture over the ice and boba

   For the Summer Skies (coconut milk) version, first pour the remaining coconut milk directly into the cup over the ice, then pour the shaken blueberry-coconut mixture on top to create three distinct color layers

7. Place the lid on the cup and serve with a wide-bore straw

   The creator notes that a standard thin straw will not allow the popping boba to pass through

Why this works

Halving the syrup from 60 ml to 30 ml prevents the drink from being overly sweet, since the popping boba contributes its own sweetness. Shaking the syrup and liquid with ice simultaneously chills, dilutes, and aerates the concentrate. In the Summer Skies version, pouring the remaining coconut milk directly into the cup before adding the shaken mixture allows the two liquids to settle at different densities, producing a visible three-layer gradient of color.

Where beginners go wrong

1. 1

   Drink is not as vibrantly blue as the Starbucks original

   Use the full 30 ml of blueberry syrup without substituting plain sugar syrup; reducing the proportion of blueberry noticeably lightens the blue

2. 2

   Drink is too sweet

   Reduce the syrup below 30 ml — the popping boba already adds meaningful sweetness, so the syrup can be dialed back further without losing the flavor profile

3. 3

   Coconut milk version lacks visible color layers

   Do not shake all the coconut milk with the syrup; pour the remaining coconut milk directly into the cup over ice first, then add the shaken mixture gently on top

4. 4

   Cannot draw up the popping boba through the straw

   Switch to a wide-bore straw; the creator explicitly notes using a standard thin straw meant the boba could not be reached

What you should taste

Strongly blueberry-forward with a bright sweetness; the lemonade version is balanced by lime sourness, which the creator describes as tasting perfect together

FAQ