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- A Starbucks barista posted a video of him making what he said was the "grossest" drink he'd ever made.
- The drink appeared to contain dragon fruit, mango, lemonade, and espresso.
- Starbucks baristas say some customers order "disgusting" drinks with "excessive" modifications.
- See more stories on Insider's business page.
A video of a Starbucks barista preparing what he said was the "grossest" drink he's ever made has gone viral on TikTok.
The drink appears to be based on Starbucks' Mango Dragon fruit Lemonade Refresher. But there's one key change – it has a shot of espresso, too.
TikTok user @kenmixtape, a Starbucks barista from Georgia, posted the video last week but said it was removed by the site. He reposted the video Monday and it now has 2.3 million views.
"This is the grossest drink anyone has ever ordered," says text overlaying a video of him making the drink.
The video appears to show him pouring the Mango Dragonfruit Refresher base, lemonade, freeze-dried dragon fruit pieces, and ice into a cup.
"Looks normal doesn't it," on-screen text reads. "Just wait."
He then adds a shot of espresso before shaking the drink.
"This is so disgusting seriously," the text reads.
The recipe for Starbucks' Mango Dragonfruit Lemonade Refresher doesn't contain espresso, although the base mixture does include natural green coffee flavor, according to an ingredients list on Starbucks' website.
A grande version of the drink - Starbucks' medium size - contains 45 milligrams of caffeine. A shot of Starbucks' espresso contains around 75 milligrams of caffeine.
@kenmixtape posted a second video of him appearing to remake the drink and trying it himself. The video shows him screwing up his face in disgust after taking a sip.
Insider previously reported that some Starbucks baristas are tired of making customized drinks with "mile-long stickers" listing modifications.
"I've made Frappuccinos before that literally did not have room for milk in them," a former Los Angeles barista told Insider.
Other baristas said they'd been given bizarre drinks requests, like a drink with egg bites blended in and a latte using banana milk as a base, or had been asked to make lots of so-called TikTok drinks, like the $7 iced white mocha. The drinks are in some cases "ridiculous" and "disgusting," the baristas said.
A Starbucks representative said that most customizations were reasonable requests from customers.
"Customizing beverages at Starbucks and our baristas' expertise in helping customers find and craft the right beverage has and always will be at the heart of the Starbucks experience," the representative added.
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