A power ranking of popular Starbucks holiday drinks, from worst to best
8. Peppermint Mocha
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Okay, so this drink isn’t necessarily bad, but it’s less special because you can order it year-round. That’s right; you can just add peppering to a regular mocha to create this exact same drink (minus those fancy chocolate swirls on top, but how much do they add to the drink anyway?).
7. Chestnut Praline Latte
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We have to respect the OG holiday drinks, but quite frankly, we’re kind of tired of the Chestnut Praline Latte. Diehard fans will disagree, and while this isn’t a bad drink, there are some other classics and newer drinks that deserve to be placed above the Chesnut Praline Latte. However, it’s important to note that this drink has not officially been released this year yet, with it expected to return later this season, so maybe our ranking will change (spoilers: it probably won’t).
6. Iced Gingerbread Oat Chai
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We’ve been waiting for a dairy-free cold-foam alternative, and Starbucks has blessed us with one. The Iced Gingerbread Oat Chai is perfectly cozy despite being a cold beverage (you can order it hot, but then you don’t get that yummy cold foam). We just yearn for coffee too much to place this any higher in our rankings.
5. Eggnog Latte
Yes, you read that right, the Eggnog Latte is returning this year. Similar to the Chestnut Praline Latte, you’ll have to wait a little longer before enjoying this drink, but if it’s anything like the Eggnog Latte that we remember, it’s a drink that other holiday beverages strive to be, with the perfect amount of festive flavour without being overpowered by sweetness.
4. Iced Sugar Cookie Cream Matcha Latte
Starbucks
This drink features everything that we love from the Sugar Cookie Oat Latte, but in matcha form (including those lovely little crunchy bits on top of the cold foam). Why is it not rated higher? Well, how can you rate an imitator higher than the original it is imitating? Plus, there’s just something more inherently cozy about a coffee-based drink than a matcha in the winter.
3. Cran-Merry Orange Refresher
Starbucks
Not only does the Cran-Merry Orange Refresher have one of the best names on the menu (we love a good holiday pun), but its flavour was so different from any of the other drinks this year that it definitely deserves to be in the top three. Fruity and tart, and with the option to customize it with lemonade or coconut milk, this drink is a nice shakeup to the typical holiday lineup.
2. Sugar Cookie Oat Latte
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Starbucks finally gave oat milk fans a drink four years ago, and we couldn’t be more thankful. However, this drink is arguably better iced, and regardless of how much we support iced coffee consumption during the winter, it’s just too cold to really enjoy this beverage and therefore cannot be listed as number one out of all the Starbucks holiday drinks.
1. Caramel Brulée Latte
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If the Caramel Brulée Latte has 100 fans, we’re one of them. If it has one fan, it’s us. If it has zero fans, consider us dead. This drink is everything right about the holiday season. It’s warm, cozy, and so delicious. There’s a reason it’s stuck around for all these years.
What’s that? This completely contradicts our ranking of the Chestnut Praline Latte? Too bad. If you don’t like the Caramel Brulé Latte, you’re simply wrong. #CaramelBruléeSupremacy.