For this Starbucks Holiday Drink Competition, we tasted four different seasonal drinks at Starbucks in Rye, New York in search of the best holiday beverage.

Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte

Upon our arrival, we ordered the new Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte.  We purchased a Tall size for $4.85.  The Sugar Cookie Almondmilk latte is a combination of espresso and steamed almond milk with the addition of sugar cookie syrup.  The coffee flavor was sweet and rich and we enjoyed the distinct almond flavor.  The latte also featured a whipped cream swirl on top.  A festive touch of red and green sprinkles supplemented the holiday treat.  However, when we opened the lid of the coffee to admire the sprinkles, they had all disintegrated.  This drink is very popular and is now sold out in many locations, so its availability added to the overall positive experience.

Caramel Brûlée Latte

Next, we purchased the Caramel Brulée Latte for the price of $4.85.  The drink is made up of espresso, steamed milk, and caramel brulée sauce with a topping of whipped cream and caramel brulée bits.  The whipped cream and caramel drizzle made the drink festive and visually appealing.  It was, however, overpowering in its sweetness.  It had rich undertones of toffee and butterscotch but did not have a prominent coffee flavor.  We concluded that this drink would be a great option for those who prefer sweet holiday drinks.  Our overall rating of the drink suffered as our lattes did not contain the caramel brulée bits.

Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino

We also tasted the Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino.  We purchased a grande size of this drink for $5.45.  The peppermint has a very refreshing flavor and offered a pleasant balance for the chocolate in the drink.  The addition of mocha was subtle, but still maintained a presence within the drink.  The frappucino also had festive chocolate shavings on the top, placed above a bed of whipped cream.  We enjoyed this drink a lot and it is apparent why this frappuccino is one of the franchise’s most popular holiday drinks.

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

To finish our Starbucks Holiday Drink Competition, we sipped on a Peppermint Hot Chocolate, which we purchased for $3.75.  It was a classic hot chocolate drink with subtle notes of peppermint.  The chocolate flavor was rich but not too sweet and was very enjoyable on a cold day.

Winner:

After an afternoon of careful deliberation, we came to the conclusion that the Peppermint Hot Chocolate is the winner of our search for the best holiday drink option at Starbucks.  It offers a combination of festive flavors and a comforting temperature, proving to be perfect for a day out during the holiday season.

Featured Image by Olivia Caponiti ’23