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The Starbucks Holiday Lineup Is Finally Here & I Got A First Taste

Santa’s coming early this year — November 7, to be exact. Starbucks announced that the merriest time of year returns to stores nationwide on November 7, and customers can celebrate the season with a variety of new and returning holiday beverages and pastries. I was given the opportunity to sample the new holiday menu and let’s just say, these drinks and treats already have me pulling out my winter sweaters, digging up holiday DVDs, and blasting Christmas music.

What are the new Starbucks holiday drinks?

This holiday season, Starbucks is introducing its first holiday Refresher, the new Cran-Merry Orange Refresher. This limited-edition refresher can also be ordered as a Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refresher (with lemonade instead of water) or Cran-Merry Drink featuring coconut milk. Though I’m not the biggest fan of cranberry juice, I absolutely adored this new beverage. 

starbucks holiday menu
Photo by Kennedy Dierks for Spoon University

The Cran-Merry Orange Refresher was the perfect balance of sweet and tart, and tasted like a bright and fun holiday beverage sans coffee (although I did learn that the caffeine in refreshers comes from the green, or unroasted, coffee beans Starbucks uses for their signature blends!). I’m also a sucker for a good sour candy, and the Cran-Merry Orange Lemonade Refresher brought the perfect pucker to this beverage with a little extra kick of tartness. Last but not least, the Pink Drink got a holiday upgrade with the coconut milk version of the Cran-Merry Drink which was my least favorite of the three, but still delicious, and a great non-dairy caffeine boost.

What coffee drinks are on the Starbucks holiday menu?

Plenty of holiday handcrafted espresso beverages are also making a long-awaited return to the menu, including the iconic Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, Chestnut Praline Latte and Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte. Tea fans can enjoy the Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai, which features warm chai spices and creamy oat milk over ice, and is topped with non-dairy gingerbread cream cold foam and pumpkin spice topping.

Customers can enjoy a variety of seasonal holiday cold foams, with new flavors including gingerbread and salted pecan, alongside returning flavors like peppermint chocolate, sugar cookie, chestnut praline, and caramel brûlée creams.

What are the new food items on Starbucks holiday menu?

New pastries include a Dark Toffee Bundt, Snowman Cake Pop, Penguin Cookie, and a Turkey Sage Danish — which might just be one of my all-time favorite Starbucks savory pastries. The Turkey Sage Danish features turkey sausage with creamy béchamel sauce in soft puff pastry for a decadent holiday bite that tastes like Thanksgiving stuffing in all the best ways. 

starbucks holiday menu
Photo by Kennedy Dierks for Spoon University

For my fellow sweet treat lovers, the adorable vanilla-flavored Snowman Cake Pop is a perfect bite-sized treat, and the Dark Toffee Bundt features rich caramel flavor that compliments the light crumb of the spiced cake.  And, luckily, the fan-favorite Sugar Plum Cheese Danish and Cranberry Bliss Bar are also returning.

starbucks holiday menu
Photo by Kennedy Dierks for Spoon University

What seasonal coffees are available at Starbucks?

Plenty of seasonal whole bean coffee will also be at Starbucks stores throughout November and December, including Starbucks Thanksgiving Blend (available the week of Thanksgiving), Starbucks Christmas Blend (back for its 40th year!) and Starbucks Holiday Blend. The three blends will be the featured drip coffees in stores, too.

What is on the Starbucks Reserve holiday menu?

Starbucks Reserve Roasteries and stores in Seattle, Chicago and New York City will debut three exclusive new beverages, featuring the iconic holiday flavor of eggnog, with the Iced Caramel Brulée Eggnog Latte, Eggnog Espresso Martini and Fog Nog Tea Latte. Each drink captured the warm and cozy flavors of eggnog, minus the heavy richness, making for three heavenly beverages to get you in the holiday spirit. My personal favorite was the Iced Caramel Brulée Eggnog Latte, which came with a caramelized sugar topping to crack into the latte for added texture, and fun. The Fog Nog Tea Latte was a fun spin on an earl gray tea latte, with the addition of eggnog to the standard milk or cream. I also loved the Eggnog Espresso Martini, which featured spiced rum (rather than the typical vodka).

starbucks holiday menu
Photo by Kennedy Dierks for Spoon University

The Starbucks Reserve Peppermint Mocha and Peppermint Mocha Espresso Martini will also return to the Starbucks Reserve menu, alongside a variety of seasonal food, merchandise and experiences.

What are the new Starbucks Holiday Cup designs?

For many customers, the return of Starbucks holiday cups signals the start of the season. Starbucks announced on November 2 that this season’s hot cups will feature four brand new designs, plus a new holiday cold cup to capture the merriment of the season. Customers can read more about the inspiration behind the cup designs here, and enjoy their favorite holiday beverages in them when the holiday menu returns on November 7.  

starbucks holiday menu
Photo by Kennedy Dierks for Spoon University

What is the 2024 Starbucks holiday merch?

In case the holiday menu isn’t enough, Starbucks also previewed a festive line of holiday merchandise for the 2024 season — including a gorgeous new Stanley cup collab — and announced that fan favorite holiday coffees, creamers, and cold brews are available now at grocery chains everywhere.

Kennedy Dierks is a National Contributor at Spoon University, and chapter president of Spoon at Seton Hall University in New Jersey. She covers all things food and has a soft spot for pop-culture moments, product launches, and the occasional cocktail.

Beyond Her Campus, Kennedy plans to pursue medicine and currently works as a medical assistant and clinical researcher. She has written for Teen Vogue, ABC News, and Girl’s Life Magazine, in addition to a number of academic and scholarly journals. She recently graduated from Seton Hall University, where she majored in Biology and Religious Studies while minoring in Art History. Kennedy is currently pursuing a Master’s Degree at Seton Hall’s College of Interprofessional Health Sciences.

Kennedy is a Taylor Swift aficionado who is convinced that a New Jersey bagel makes everything better. In her free time, she can be found teaching spin classes at the gym, playing the guitar, designing art for her Redbubble shop, or roaming the aisles of Trader Joe’s looking for her new favorite product.