{"id":10082,"date":"2026-11-06T07:30:27","date_gmt":"2026-11-06T07:30:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=10082"},"modified":"2026-11-06T07:30:27","modified_gmt":"2026-11-06T07:30:27","slug":"we-tried-all-the-starbucks-holiday-drinks-heres-how-they-ranked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/silvybrand.com\/?p=10082","title":{"rendered":"We Tried All the Starbucks Holiday Drinks\u2014Here\u2019s How They Ranked"},"content":{"rendered":"


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\"Starbucks<\/p>\n

Cue the Mariah Carey voice, because it’s tiiiiiiime! The Starbucks holiday drinks release day<\/a> might as well be a national holiday at this point. It’s certainly always big news for The Everygirl team; we’re all eager to share our thoughts on the new flavors, the iconic cup designs, and what everyone crowns the best Starbucks holiday drink of the year.\u00a0Keeping with tradition, we did an official taste test of all the Starbucks holiday drinks for 2026\u2014and our top pick might surprise you. Without further ado, find our comprehensive ranking of the Starbucks holiday beverage menu below. Happy sipping!<\/p>\n

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Meet our taste-testers<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

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\"lauren<\/figure>\n

LAUREN BLUE
Editor & Book Club Co-Host<\/em><\/h4>\n

Go-to Starbucks order: Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew<\/em><\/p>\n

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KEELY GEIST
Associate Director of Marketing<\/em><\/h4>\n

Go-to Starbucks order:<\/em> Iced Brown Sugar Shaken Espresso<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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\"claire<\/figure>\n

CLAIRE WEST
Lifestyle<\/em> Editor<\/em><\/h4>\n

Go-to Starbucks order: Hot Americano with Oat Milk<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

How we ranked them<\/h3>\n

Our three official taste testers each tried 11 Starbucks holiday drinks. We scored each drink on a scale of 1-5 in the categories of \u201coverall taste\u201d and \u201clikelihood to get again\u201d for a total of 10 possible points per drink. The scores you see below are the averages of our three testers\u2019 ratings. We ordered all the drinks without any modifications, so we could taste them exactly as Starbucks intended.<\/p>\n

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Our official 2026 Starbucks holiday drinks ranking<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n

11. Apple Pomegranate Lemonade Refresher<\/h3>\n
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\n \"starbucks <\/p>\n
Source: Starbucks<\/a><\/i><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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“It’s giving Appletini. Vile.”<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Source: Starbucks<\/a><\/i><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Score: 2.43\/10<\/h4>\n

From the moment we saw pictures of this refresher in the Starbucks holiday menu announcement<\/a>, we were skeptical of the Grinch-green and cranberry-red beverage. And it turns out, our judge-a-book-by-its-cover instinct was right. (Although it did prove to be prettier in person with the holiday cup!) All three of us deemed this too-tart drink a major miss, drawing comparisons to Jolly Ranchers, apple lollipops, and sickeningly-sour Appletinis. Keely put it best, claiming that one sip sent her straight back to college, nursing an Apple Schnapps hangover. Not a memory we need to revisit. <\/p>\n

10. Snowy Apple Drink<\/h3>\n
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\n \"starbucks <\/p>\n
Source: Starbucks<\/a><\/i><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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“Green Laffy Taffy, anyone?”<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Source: Starbucks<\/a><\/i><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Score: 2.75\/10<\/h4>\n

Okay, we were torn on this one. The Snowy Apple is the Apple Pomegranate Refresher with coconut milk, which we all agreed did help temper the tart (or in Lauren’s words, the “putridly sour”) apple flavor. Although, the splash of milk makes for an unappealing sea foam green color that gave Claire the ick before her first sip. However, Keely\u2014a Starbucks Refresher fan in general\u2014enjoyed this one, so fellow Refresher girlies, you might, too! <\/p>\n

9. Iced Caramel Br\u00fbl\u00e9e Cream Chai<\/h3>\n
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\n \"starbucks <\/p>\n
Source: Starbucks<\/a><\/i><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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“Middle schoolers will love this.”<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Source: Starbucks<\/a><\/i><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Score: 3\/10<\/h4>\n

The Iced Caramel Br\u00fbl\u00e9e Cream Chai is topped with whipped cream, a rich caramel br\u00fbl\u00e9e sauce, and br\u00fbl\u00e9e bits. And the consensus was clear: It’s doing too much. Even as a self-proclaimed caramel lover, the flavor is far too sweet for my liking, and it leans more into butterscotch territory. It reminded us of two things: grandma’s gold-wrapped butterscotch candies, and walking the mall in middle school, Frappuccino in hand. For what it’s worth, Keely deemed the order a “safe bet”\u2014but she’d only be able to drink half.<\/p>\n

8. Tiramisu Velvet Latte (Hot)<\/h3>\n
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\n \"starbucks <\/p>\n
Source: Starbucks<\/a><\/i><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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“Blah.”<\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n
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Source: Starbucks<\/a><\/i><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Score: 4.67\/10<\/h4>\n

As one of the brand-new Starbucks holiday drinks with three versions (hot latte, iced latte, and cold brew), expectations for the Tiramisu Velvet Latte were high. Sadly, all three of us were disappointed. The wow-worthy flavor we expected was missing entirely, so much so that we all agreed the drink tasted like hot milk, and not much else\u2014except for a weird, filmy aftertaste. There’s nothing outrageously bad about this one, but it’s definitely a flop. <\/p>\n