Starbucks' Hannah Montana drink sparks fan backlash over raspberry ingredient choice
Coffee chain's anniversary tribute beverage contradicts established character lore from the Disney Channel series
In what appears to be a significant oversight in brand collaboration strategy, Starbucks has introduced a secret menu beverage commemorating Hannah Montana's two-decade milestone — only to face immediate criticism from the show's dedicated fanbase over a glaring continuity error.
The Secret Popstar Refresher, unavailable through standard ordering channels, became accessible Monday via the Starbucks mobile application or through verbal specification at the counter. The recipe calls for a grande Strawberry Acai Refresher base, enhanced with raspberry cold foam, two pumps of raspberry syrup, and excludes the standard strawberry inclusions.
While the vibrant pink beverage ostensibly represents what Miley Cyrus's fictional alter ego might order, longtime viewers of the Disney Channel phenomenon immediately identified a fundamental contradiction with established character canon: Hannah Montana's documented aversion to raspberries.
The continuity issue stems from the first season's 25th episode, "Smells Like Teen Sellout," which aired in 2007. In that installment, Hannah explicitly reveals to her confidante Lilly that childhood overindulgence at a county fair pie-eating competition left her with a lasting sensitivity to the fruit.
The character's declaration remains unambiguous: "Even a whiff of raspberries makes me sick."

The discrepancy triggered swift reactions across social platforms, with fans questioning the depth of research behind the promotional tie-in.
One Threads user directly challenged the coffee giant's attention to detail: "Hey [Starbucks]... there was literally an entire episode about Miley hating the smell of raspberries. As Hannah Montana said, 'everybody makes mistakes.' You had the opportunity for a lavender lemonade or a loco hot cocoa RIGHT THERE."
The criticism extended to X, where one commenter declared, "Whoever came up with this needs their Hannah Montana fan card REVOKED." Another questioned the development process: "starbucks having a raspberry hannah montana refresher when hannah HATES raspberries is so funny to me like did they think this through or ?????"
The sentiment was echoed by another user who wrote, "raspberry cold foam for a HANNAH MONTANA DRINK? real ones know shes allergic to raspberries whos flop idea was that?"
When confronted with the inconsistency on Instagram, Starbucks attempted to reframe the narrative, responding to a commenter's observation with: "20 years later and Miley decided she's so over that."
Starbucks did not immediately return The Independent's request for comment on the ingredient choice.
According to the company's press materials, the limited-edition beverage remains available through April 5. The promotional campaign extends beyond the menu item, with participating U.S. locations scheduled to feature a Hannah Montana-curated playlist beginning Tuesday.
The beverage launch coincides with the Tuesday premiere of the Hannah Montana 20th Anniversary Special on Disney+. The retrospective production, recorded before a live studio audience, features an extended conversation with Cyrus alongside previously unreleased behind-the-scenes material from the series' original run.
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