Summer Drink Roundup 2026: What Barista Magazine Readers Are Sipping This Season

We asked our online readers what beverages they’re cooling down with this summer—and today, we’re sharing some of our favorites.

FROM STAFF REPORTS

Featured image by Katherine Sousa

A change in weather means a fresh start for café menus—a chance to get creative and present coffee in all-new, exciting ways. Every season, we’re impressed by the drink recipes that our online readers come up with: From fruit-infused lattes to vibrant cold foam, their creations never disappoint!

To kick off the summer, we asked you what seasonal specials you dreamt up for the coming months. Here’s a list of some of our favorites, straight from Barista Magazine readers.

Axum Coffee: Key Lime Light + Tropical Noir

In a refreshing ode to Florida’s official state pie, Winter Garden, Florida-based Axum Coffee has crafted up what they call “Key Lime Light,” an iced latte infused with house-made graham cracker syrup and white chocolate, then topped with key lime cold foam and crushed graham crackers.

“One sip and you’ll be transported to a beach in the Keys,” writes the team at Axum Coffee.

For a non-caffeinated option, the café is also serving up Tropical Noir: an iced turmeric tea sweetened with pineapple syrup and lemonade, then mixed with crushed fresh mint.

Farm Cup Coffee: Sticky Mango Matcha

Based in Los Angeles with locations in West Hollywood and Century City, Farm Cup Coffee shares one of their many inventive summer specials.

Their Sticky Mango Matcha is inspired by mango sticky rice, a popular Southeast Asian dessert. Sweet and refreshing, the beverage is crafted with house-made mango puree and vegan condensed milk, topped with a coconut cream top, and garnished with sesame seeds.

“What really sets it off is our house-made condensed macadamia milk—it really emulates the condensed milk they usually put on top of mango sticky rice,” says Tony Yuan, owner of Farm Cup.

Concord Coffee: Pink Espresso Soda + Orange Sesame Honey Latte

Espresso tonic is always an ideal choice for warmer weather, and Concord Coffee is serving up their own colorful version of this coffee shop classic.

The café, which has several locations across central Florida, shows off their Pink Espresso Soda: soda water topped with espresso and sweetened with guava and coconut syrup.

Another standout item on Concord Coffee’s menu is the Orange Sesame Honey Latte, made with real local honey and flavored with orange sesame syrup—the perfect combination of sweet, citrusy, and nutty flavors.

XO Coffee Shop: Sea Salt Ice Cream Latte

Operating as both a tattoo shop and café, XO Coffee Shop has a vibrant array of drinks on their menu this summer, including their gorgeous Sea Salt Ice Cream Latte.

The XO Coffee Shop team says the beverage is inspired by the sea salt ice cream shared atop the Twilight Town Clock Tower in their favorite video game, “Kingdom Hearts 2.”

The drink, which can be made with either coffee or matcha, is topped with a house-made blue sea salt ice cream foam—a sweet and colorful way to kick off the summer.

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