"Cue the Mariah Carey voice because it’s tiiiiiiime! The day that Starbucks holiday drinks become available might as well be a national holiday at this point. It’s always extremely big news on The Everygirl team, and we all share our thoughts on any new drinks they’ve added, the iconic cup designs, secret menu concoctions, and what everyone’s getting for their first of many Starbucks holiday drinks this year. And to continue the tradition that started with our ranking of the Starbucks fall drinks, we have taken it upon ourselves to share our comprehensive ranking of every holiday drink on the menu this year. You all have loved our rankings from years past and we love doing them, so of course, we had to continue the series.
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How We Ranked Them
For this ranking, we ordered every drink exactly as it appears on the menu so we could get the true experience of how the drinks were intended. Thankfully, our Chicago winter weather has held off for now, making the walk down the street with two full trays of festive drinks much smoother than in past years. This round, we had seven official taste testers who scored each drink on a scale of 1-5 in the categories of “overall taste” and “likelihood to get again,” adding up to a total of 10 possible points per drink from each taste-tester. We then averaged all of our taste testers’ scores to get the drink’s final score out of 10. So here is—drumroll please—The Everygirl’s official ranking of all the Starbucks holiday drinks, from worst to best:
9. Cran-Merry Drink
Score: 0.9/10
Confused and a little scared for this new addition to the Starbucks holiday menu, we sipped on what looked like a pink drink and were surprised (not in a good way) to taste a weird, candy-medicine mash-up in a cup. Most of us didn’t even want to finish the small portions we sampled due to the strange and displeasing taste. It was sweet, sour, and just… off. The cranberry flavor did not mix well with the milky base at all. One taster said that they could “barely stomach a sip.” If you want to give this one a go, maybe try one of the refresher or lemonade versions for less of that sour medicine flavor.
8. Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte
Score: 1.7/10
The Sugar Cookie Latte from 2023 ranked quite high in last year’s test, but this year, we all agreed something was off. Maybe it was the almond milk or possibly the sprinkles, but something was giving off a burnt flavor that was really off-putting. This is also advertised as an iced drink, but it might be better as a hot drink instead. Multiple testers noted that the flavor this year was just “icky.”
7. Gingerbread Latte
Score: 4.7/10
As you can see score-wise, we made a large jump from the worst-ranking drinks to some of the more middle-tier ones. This one had mixed reviews within our group. A few testers loved this one, enjoying the light flavor, while some of us wanted a little bit of a stronger coffee flavor. So depending on how you like your coffee, and if you’re a gingerbread lover, this one could be a keeper for you!
6. Chestnut Praline Latte
Score: 4.9/10
I’ve gotta say, here at The Everygirl, we are some seriously harsh critics when it comes to our coffee. This is another drink that divided the group a bit. Some hated it, while other testers loved the nutty flavor and felt it was the most balanced of all the drinks, flavor-wise. I also enjoyed this one but would’ve loved a bit of a stronger coffee flavor to back up the taste.
5. Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai
Score: 5.3/10
Like most specialty chai drinks that Starbucks revives each season, the flavor unfortunately falls flat on this one. Compared to our beloved Oatmilk Chai Latte, this one just lacks that chai spice we all love and tastes way too much like a cup of sweet milk. There was a little hint of gingerbread but not enough to revolve the drink around that flavor. It isn’t bad by any means, and it’s definitely drinkable, but it just wasn’t anything special.
4. Peppermint White Chocolate Mocha
Score: 5.9/10
OK so this one’s ranking could have totally been affected by human error, as we were kind of convinced they gave us two regular Peppermint Mochas instead of one being a White Mocha. They tasted and looked nearly identical, and maybe they were. Either way though, our tasters enjoyed the flavor, and some swore this one had a lighter peppermint taste to it. The peppermint drinks all did well this year in the name of sweet nostalgia.
3. Peppermint Mocha Frappucino
Score: 6/10
To put it simply, a holiday Frappuccino is going to do it for us every time. These drinks always score high in overall flavor for just being so yummy and basically the ultimate little sweet treat. On the flip side, that is exactly why our “likelihood to get again” scores are often lower—because we all can agree that despite the delicious peppermint flavor, it’s a bit too much for an everyday drink. If you are looking for something that tastes nothing like coffee and more like a mint chocolate milkshake, this one will be perfect for you.
2. Peppermint Mocha
Score: 6.4/10
As mentioned earlier, the reason this drink earned a spot so high is because of pure nostalgia. There’s just something about taking a sip of a Peppermint Mocha in a Starbucks holiday cup that makes you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. It’s a true classic, and we all agreed that we like to have at least one per year. Starbucks hack: One of our taste testers suggests getting your favorite regular latte with peppermint syrup if you like the peppermint flavor but not mocha.
1. Caramel Brûlée Latte
Score: 6.9/10
And the winner is… the Caramel Brûlée Latte! A tried and true holiday drink, this latte is another must-have each holiday season, and it just screams hot coffee on a cold winter day. Everyone agreed this one was a little sweet, but overall had a great flavor that we all enjoyed. One tester noted that it “tastes like the butterscotch candies your grandma has,” and most of us agreed with that. And as an iced coffee-loving office, we agreed that an iced version of this drink would perfectly cut the sweetness. If you’re looking for a coffee to keep in your lineup throughout the holiday season, definitely try this one.
Jenna Piotrowicz, Editorial Assistant
Jenna began working as an Editorial Assistant for The Everygirl in 2024. With her eye for detail, she assists the team with content creation, sourcing products and images, and works behind the scenes to support The Everygirl in uploading and updating content.