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Tokyo location’s new blended ice beverages have a kick, but not from caffeine.

Right now, Starbucks Japan is trumpeting the imminent opening of the very first Japanese branch of Starbucks Evenings, the coffee giant’s spinoff chain that serves alcoholic beverages along with cheeses, tarts, and other wine-pairing candidates. But while it’s true that the Starbucks Evenings in Tokyo’s Marunouchi district will be the first in Japan to bear that name, you’ve been able to get beer and wine at the a handful of cafes in Japan dubbed “Inspired by Starbucks” for a couple of months now.

Still, it’s the job of Starbucks marketing team to drum up publicity however it can, and March 30 is technically the grand Japanese opening of Starbucks Evenings. And we’ll forgive the loophole, seeing as how the new restaurant brings with it something to get genuinely excited about: alcoholic Frappuccinos!

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Officially, the drink is called the Wine Fraggino, but considering that it’s a flavored ice blended beverage at Starbucks, it’s a Frappuccino in everything but name. Made with blueberry wine from the town of Yoichicho, on Japan’s northern island of Hokkaido, the Fraggino promises to have a refreshing mix of sweet and tangy flavors.

▼ The restaurant’s interior

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At 900 yen (US$8), the Wine Fraggino is a bit more expensive than a cup of one of Starbucks’ fancier coffees, but not prohibitively so. It sounds like just the thing for sipping after a long day at the office as you wind down and read groundbreaking works of literature such as 1956 novel Giovanni’s Room, like the hand model in Starbucks’ promotional image is doing, or the equally mentally stimulating fare of RocketNews24.

Restaurant information
Starbucks Evenings / スターバックス イブニングス
Address: Tokyo-to, Chiyoda-ku, Marunouchi 3-3-1, Marunouchi Shin Tokyo Building
東京都千代田区丸の内3-3-1丸の内新東京ビル
Website

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Source: Entabe
Images: Starbucks Japan