Cold weather is upon us and that can only mean one thing: new drinks from Starbucks. No matter your drink palette, there is something on this new menu for you to enjoy.
The holiday menu features returning classics for the winter season, as well as a few new beverages so even Starbucks veterans have something new to douse their taste buds in.
Having started on Nov. 7, patrons can choose from eight limited-time drinks. There are also some new food options, but I’ll focus on the drinks as I haven’t yet gotten a chance to try any of the foods.
Returning drinks include the peppermint mocha, caramel brulée latte, chestnut praline latte, iced sugar cookie almondmilk latte and the iced gingerbread oatmilk chai.
Most of these are also available on the opposite end of the temperature spectrum. I did this with a gingerbread latte, ordering it hot rather than the standard iced version.
Starbucks also dropped three new drinks — all new members of its increasingly popular line of refreshers. The main drink is the new cran-merry orange refresher. The other two are variations of this drink, being the cran-merry orange lemonade refresher and the plainly named cran-merry drink.
“The new cran-merry orange refresher captures the essence of the season with flavors of sweet orange, tart cranberry and warm spices, including notes of cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg, shaken with ice, water and real cranberries,” the Starbucks website said.
The cran-merry orange lemonade refresher replaces the water with lemonade while the cran-merry drink combines the base flavor with coconut milk. These variations of the same drink allow for people to enjoy this new flavor, regardless of their current mood and tastes.
The remainder of the article may sound like an ad and it kind of is one, but I swear I have no vested interest in Starbucks. I would also like to state a hot take that the holiday menu is even better than the iconic fall menu.
Interestingly, I’m not a big fan of Starbucks. There are only a select few beverages that I enjoy and I usually just rotate through those depending on my mood. I find most of the drink flavors are either too much or too little, and I’m far too lazy to add customizations in hopes of crafting the perfect drink. That and Starbucks’ customization prices are egregious.
My favorites are the white chocolate mocha, iced or hot, and the iced brown sugar oatmilk shaken espresso. Starbucks really needs to work on having more concise titles. I have been embarrassed a few times trying to say that name.
For those like me who enjoy the white chocolate mocha, the white chocolate peppermint mocha is the same wonderful drink with a boatload of peppermint dumped on top. I had to try this one as opposed to the standard peppermint mocha that uses dark chocolate, which I do not enjoy.
For those who don’t enjoy peppermint, steer clear as they don’t hold back on it. But it does give the drink a nice Christmas feel that adds to the enjoyment.
As previously mentioned, I also tried the gingerbread latte, which was a far more underwhelming experience. It tastes like a standard latte at first and then has a slight gingerbread aftertaste, making you wonder if that was worth the $1.35 upcharge.
I also had one sip of the iced sugar cookie almondmilk latte. As the name suggests, this is one of the sweeter offerings of the holiday menu and a great choice for those who want to get a younger sibling stuck in the same caffeine dependency loop they themselves are trapped in.
The caramel brulée latte also seems like a good choice for sweet-tooths, especially with the added whipped cream on top. Caramel fans everywhere are excited to have yet another option with which to enjoy the gooey substance. I am not one of them, however, so I’ll just sit this one out.
Overall, I found that most of the drinks are delightful and a good way to get in the holiday spirit before everyone else does. The gingerbread and peppermint aromas teleported me instantly to Christmas time and cozy winter nights, which almost made up for Starbucks’ staple high prices.
Now, most people may be upset by my even saying this, but the holiday menu is just better than the fall menu. The pumpkin spice latte is obviously a classic and I respect that, but I don’t like pumpkin, so it means nothing to my tastes.
I do, however, enjoy the apple crisp variety of drinks that they offer, but apple crisp is not a generationally enjoyed flavor like peppermint is. It simply does not elicit the same joyful response I get from a whiff of gingerbread and imagining a warm fireplace during a December snowfall.
Though my dear peppermint mocha may not have the same cultural influence as a pumpkin spice latte, that does not automatically mean the latte is better. I think the superior flavors and the diversity of drink options makes the holiday menu even better than the fall classics.
Regardless of which limited-time menu you prefer, I think it’s well worth it to try some of these new drinks before they’re gone once again. #notsponsored.
DeGear can be reached at [email protected].
