Emily Duprie
A viral TikTok surfaced of a Starbucks customer alleging she had been verbally abused by the barista after ordering the trending ‘Medicine ball’ drink. Though it’s not the official name of the beverage, many have begun to call it by its social media name without any complaints from Starbz workers- that is until (liyahxtt) requested it.
The TikTokers short video comes with a PSA to Starbucks fans. “Whatever you do, do not ask for a ‘medicine ball’ at Starbucks or you will get verbally abused,” Liyah says. “Order a honey citrus mint tea, apparently.”
In the video’s caption, Liyah wrote, “I’m sick and idk why everyone keeps yelling at me.” Her video has racked up close to a million views.
Not only is it unclear from the context of the video which Starbucks location Liyah visited, she also doesn’t tell viewers what the barista specifically said to her during the interaction.
The “medicine ball” drink has been widely popularized on TikTok, with various users claiming that it can help ease cold and flu symptoms—like a cough, sore throat, or congestion.
Nutritionists are actually raving about the benefits of the drink too. Since the given name for the drink is so popular, many TikTokers commented that they had never had any issues ordering it as a ‘Medicine ball.’ Others however, pointed out that the name is controversial due to the word “medicine” in its title, misleading some into believing there’s actual medicine in it.
Viewers in the comments had both sides of the story to share, and Liyah provided a little context on what the worker had said to her:
