As flurries begin to come down, Mariah Carey returns to the radio, and hats and gloves are now in use, Starbucks releases six seasonal drinks to welcome the winter and holiday season. On November 2nd, 2023, Starbucks came out with their winter menu including six drinks and five food items. Only two days after Halloween, the question arises if the release is too early. This also goes for numerous companies rushing to get their holiday items in stores. Once Halloween is over, many Americans skip past Thanksgiving and immediately go into the Christmas season. However, fall is not technically over. So, is it really time to start enjoying these winter drinks?

Some other seasonal Starbucks drinks include summer’s cool refreshers and fall’s Pumpkin products. Winter items such as the Peppermint Mocha and Chestnut Praline have a very similar success rate to iconic fall items like the Pumpkin Chai and Pumpkin Spice Latte. Each season has two drinks in the top ten of most popular Starbucks drinks.

However, unlike any other season at Starbucks, the winter products have a signature look to their cups that change each year. Bridget Shilling is the designer of the 2023 holiday cups and incorporates the use of magenta as well as the classic red and green colors this year. A few of the aesthetically pleasing patterns shown in the picture above include Bauble Wrap, Party Plaid, Peppermint Swirl, Ribbon Spool, and the cold cup with its white designs. Another classic each year at Starbucks are the reusable red cups. Starting later in the month of November, workers will give customers who buy a holiday drink a free reusable cup.

The six winter drinks include the Peppermint Mocha, Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai, Caramel Brulee Latte, Chestnut Praline Latte, Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte, and New Oleato Gingerbread Oatmilk Latte. There are also five holiday food items: gingerbread loaf, peppermint brownie cake pop, cranberry bliss bar, snowman cookie, and the sugar plum cheese danish. Here are my reviews on my top three winter drinks: the Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai, Caramel Brulee Latte, and Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte.

As a fan of the fall Pumpkin Chai and any chai product, this drink is surely one of my favorites. Some say that chai, especially in seasonal Starbucks drinks, tastes too much like a candle, however I love how the flavor encaptures the sweetness of the Christmas season. The Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai is not too sugary and has a classic taste of chai with undertones of gingerbread flavoring. My favorite warm option at Starbucks during the winter season is the Caramel Brulee Latte. It is sweet but has a rich flavor of caramel with the classic espresso taste. Lastly is the Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte. This drink has a unique and accurate taste of a sugar cookie and is definitely on the sweeter side. Topped with holiday themed sprinkles and made with its distinctive flavor, this latte is very enjoyable to have during the holiday season.