Is House of the Dragon’s new Starbucks promotion the ultimate Game of Thrones in-joke?

House of the Dragon fans must pledge their allegiance with a special edition Starbucks menu that brings back memories of one of the series’ infamous running Starbucks cup jokes.

The time has come again for fans to be divided between Team Black and Team Green. Starbucks announced a special edition menu as part of their European partnership with House of the Dragon.

The “Max Nights, Starbucks Mornings” will be available in select countries like Portugal, Spain and France.

According to Variety, Portugal fans can show their allegiance to Rhaenyra Targaryen’s crown with a Targaryen Frappuccino or a Black Queen Cold Brew. Those on Team Green can indulge in a Green King iced matcha or a Dracarys matcha Frappuccino.

The available drinks change depending on location with France having a Targaryen Iced Americano with cream cold foam for #TeamBlack. A Dracarys iced white mocha matcha tea latte with cream cold foam will represent #TeamGreen.

Marketing for the new season first started with mounted flags for either side in New York City. But the Starbucks partnership could also be interpreted as an added gag to Game of Thrones‘s infamous cup joke.

Back in 2019, an eagle-eyed fan noticed a modern-day Starbucks cup in Season 8 Episode 4, titled “The Last of the Starks.”

HBO

The very recognizable cup was in front of Daenerys Targaryen during the Winterfell feast, and it became one of the series’ running jokes. Many of the cast members debated who left the cup, pointing fingers at each other as the possible culprit.

The episode originally having aired with the small Easter egg, though it was later digitally removed by the special effects team. Art director Hauke Richter told TMZ the cup wasn’t from Starbucks but a local coffee shop in Northern Ireland.

Many fans chastised the small gaffe seeing as the series spends thousands, even millions, on editing to let something like that slip and be aired. But Richter came to his crew’s defense saying the shoot was hard and demanding and simply overlooked by an “exhausted” crew.

House of Dragon Season 2 is now streaming on HBO Max. While waiting for new episodes, you can learn how the season might lean into a queer theory, what is Harrenhal, how a popular movie inspired a funeral scene, and new TV series to stream this month.