Imagine, if you will, for just a moment, a jolt—zap!—a flash, a boom, and then… oh… it’s so smooth. That’s the Cosmic Flash Cream Top, my friend, and it’s just debuted at Verve Coffee Roasters locations as this summer’s special signature drink. Celestial energy abounds. Heavenly bodies collide in resonance and harmony.
It’s everywhere you want to be.
To learn more, we spoke with the visionary behind the Cosmic Flash Cream Top—Alexis Bolter, Chief Brand and Experience Officer from Verve!
Is there a specific story or meaning behind the name of the drink?
Our seasonal campaign draws inspiration from Summer Solstice and specifically from celestial energy. The cosmos are unfathomably vast, bringing introspection and creativity. We named this drink as a nod to this idea and hope it delivers a little burst of positive energy to the drinker.
What inspired the creation of this drink?
Inspired by the seasonal return of our favorite summer blend, Larrea, this drink was designed to fuel the celestial joy of the summer. Just imagine sitting back and staring up at a beautiful puffy white cloud that is cooling off the heat of the sun, and you’ve got our cosmic flash cream top.
Are there any unique or locally sourced ingredients used in this drink?
The Cosmic Flash Cream Top is made with cream, house syrup, and our Craft Instant Coffee combined to form a cloud-like consistency and is poured on top of our original Flash Brew.
How did you work to balance the flavors and create the perfect taste profile?
When I created the Cream Top, I turned to another Verve classic, the Missile, for inspiration. Our Missile is a cold drink made from coffee concentrate and sweetened with our house-made organic syrup and cream. For the Cream Top, we started with the Missile’s perfect cream-to-sugar ration. To make this drink otherworldly, we added our Aster Craft Instant Coffee to the sweet cream. This creamy, sweet, coffee-forward cream top became a delicious take on a red-eye that lifts you to the moon!
What kind of coffee is used in this drink?
The third iteration of our popular Larrea Blend in Instant is part of this seasonal drink. This year’s Larrea Blend balances three different coffees: two washed components from El Salvador and Genji Challa in Ethiopia and a natural component from the Guji Highlands of Ethiopia. The three blend beautifully, offering a magnetic cup that awakens the senses and ushers in the sweet vibrations of summer.
Would you recommend any food pairings to go along with it?
Our new Blueberry Mascarpone Tartine. This new toast is equally refreshing toast with whipped lemon zest mascarpone, macerated blueberries, topped with mint, and a drizzle of honey.
What are people saying about it?
So much love for this drink with a lot of customer secret menu hacks. Add the cosmic cream top to our seasonal citrus cream iced latte or to your iced chai for an exciting summer treat.
Thank you!
The Cosmic Flash Cream Top ($7) is available at Verve Coffee locations until the end of August. Check out Verve Coffee’s official website and follow them on Instagram: @VerveCoffee, TikTok: @VerveCoffee, Facebook: Verve Coffee Roasters, and X/Twitter: @VerveCoffee.
On The Menu is an exploration of the best, most beautiful, most delicious, and most thought-provoking original signature drinks on cafe menus worldwide. It is presented by DONA Teas & Tisanes.
