Starbucks Holiday Drinks, Syrups & Menu Hacks for 2022

Starbucks holiday drinks menu is here! With all the Starbucks winter cups dropping, and the Starbucks Red Cup Day starting on Nov. 17, we’ve been loading up on all Peppermint Mochas and Sugar Cookie Lattes to help us prepare for the Black Friday sales.

We’ve found out everything you need to know about the Starbucks holiday drinks, including what’s new on the menu, when you can get a free reusable cup on Starbucks Red Cup Day (Nov. 17 at 7 a.m.), and what other treats you can order this year.

Make sure you check out our ways to get free Starbucks (including the Starbucks holiday drinks).

 

Get a free reusable cup with Starbucks holiday drink purchase on Nov. 17, Starbucks Red Cup Day.

We’re always on the lookout for good Starbucks deals on reusable cups, and what’s a better deal than free?

Starbucks Red Cup Day takes place today on Thursday, Nov. 17 starting at 7 a.m. While supplies last, if you show up to a Starbucks and order a holiday drink, you’ll get a reusable holiday-themed cup for free.

Here are the holiday drinks that can get you your Starbucks Red Cup:

• Apple Crisp Oatmilk Macchiato
• Caramel Brulée Latte
• Chestnut Praline Latte
• Hot Chocolate
• Irish Cream Cold Brew
• Peppermint Hot Chocolate
• Peppermint Mocha
• Peppermint White Hot Chocolate
• Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew
• Pumpkin Spice Latte
• Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte
• Toasted White Hot Chocolate
• Toasted White
• Chocolate Mocha
• White Hot Chocolate

Starbucks locations inside Target, Albertsons, and other chain stores participate as well — so hit those locations if you’re worried about a big line on the big day.

If I were you, I’d get there as early as you can on Nov. 17 — people tend to snatch up the free cups. But to cut down on hoarding, we’ve seen signage in past years that Starbucks limits the free cups to two per household. Plus, not every location celebrates Red Cup Day, so makes sure that your local Starbucks is celebrating this year.

 

The official Starbucks holiday drinks menu launched Nov. 3, bringing back six seasonal beverages.

Starbucks holiday drinks season arrived on Nov. 3, which means the signage and the cups will get their annual red makeover, and the seasonal beverages will make their menu comeback. (No brand-new drink launches in 2022.)

Here’s what’s on the Starbucks holiday drinks menu (all prices are for Grande size):

• Peppermint Mocha ($5.75)
• Toasted White Chocolate Mocha ($5.65)
• Caramel Brulee Latte ($5.75)
• Chestnut Praline Latte ($5.75)
• Irish Cream Cold Brew ($5.25)
• Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte ($5.75)

Note: Not ready to say goodbye to the Starbucks fall menu? Although the Starbucks holiday drinks took over on Nov. 3, your local Starbucks will still sell the fall menu as long as they have the ingredients on hand. Expect to be able to order a PSL deep into November, and in some locations, they’ve served it as late as January.

 

Starbucks bakery has five holiday items that cost between $2 – $4 each.

Starbucks holiday drinks aren’t the only festive additions to the menu. Starbucks holiday bakery items came out on Nov. 3 and include:

• Chocolate Pistachio Swirl ($3.45)
• Snowman Cookie ($2.75)
• Sugar Plum Cheese Danish ($3.75)
• Reindeer Cake Pop ($3.25)
• Cranberry Bliss Bar ($3.45)

 

Starbucks Peppermint Mocha is the most popular Starbucks holiday beverage — even though you can get it all year.

While Starbucks has gotten fancier with each new holiday beverage added, year after year the most popular item on the seasonal menu is the Peppermint Mocha.

The $5.75 “base model” is pretty simple: Espresso Roast, steamed milk, mocha sauce, and peppermint syrup — with whipped cream and dark chocolate curls on top. But from there, there are lots of variations. Here are a few:

• Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino ($6.05): Add in three pumps of Peppermint Syrup ($0.80) to a Mocha Frappuccino ($5.25)
• Skinny Peppermint Mocha ($5.35): Order a Caffe Americano ($3.75) with a splash of Heavy Cream, 1 pump of Mocha Sauce ($0.80), 1 pump of Peppermint Syrup, and 2 pumps of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup ($0.80)

 

 

Share a Venti Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte and save $1.

A Venti latte ($4.95) is 20 ounces and a Tall latte ($3.95) is 12 ounces. If you buy a venti and ask the barista to split it between two tall cups, making two 10-ounce lattes, you’ll save around $1 for nearly the same size. Your cost-per-ounce goes from $0.33 down to $0.25. And that’s just the beginning of our ways to save at Starbucks.

 

Get lower calorie versions of the holiday drinks with some ordering tweaks.

Excited about the holiday drinks but not so excited about the calorie counts? There are some easy tweaks you can make in store or via app ordering that will make your drinks a little healthier.

Here’s what you can do for each of the Starbucks holiday drinks:

Peppermint Mocha (reg. 440 calories for Grande)

• Order with almond milk ($0.70) instead of 2% milk: Saves 80 calories
• Order with nonfat milk ($0.70) instead of 2% milk: Saves 50 calories
• Order with coconut milk ($0.70) instead of 2% milk: Saves 40 calories
• Skip the whipped cream: Saves 70 calories
• Order a Grande Caffe Misto ($3.65) with one pump of Peppermint Syrup ($0.80) and one pump of Mocha. Replace 2% milk with almond milk ($0.70) … 75 total calories for $5.15.

Toasted White Chocolate Mocha (reg. 420 calories for Grande)

• Order with almond milk ($0.70) instead of 2% milk: Saves 80 calories
• Order with nonfat milk ($0.70) instead of 2% milk: Saves 50 calories
• Order with coconut milk ($0.70) instead of 2% milk: Saves 40 calories
• Skip the whipped cream: Saves 70 calories
• Order a Grande Caffe Americano ($3.75) with one pump of White Mocha Sauce ($0.80) and three pumps of Sugar-Free Vanilla Syrup. Replace 2% milk with almond milk ($0.70) … 95 total calories for $5.25.

Caramel Brulee Latte (reg. 410 calories for Grande)

• Order with almond milk ($0.70) instead of 2% milk: Saves 80 calories
• Order with nonfat milk ($0.70) instead of 2% milk: Saves 50 calories
• Order with coconut milk ($0.70) instead of 2% milk: Saves 40 calories
• Skip the whipped cream: Saves 70 calories

Chestnut Praline Latte (reg. 330 calories for Grande)

• Order with almond milk ($0.70) instead of 2% milk: Saves 80 calories
• Order with nonfat milk ($0.70) instead of 2% milk: Saves 50 calories
• Order with coconut milk ($0.70) instead of 2% milk: Saves 40 calories
• Skip the whipped cream: Saves 70 calories
• Order a Grande Caffe Misto ($3.65) with two pumps of Chestnut Praline Syrup ($0.80). Replace 2% milk with almond milk ($0.70) … 95 total calories for $5.15.

Irish Cream Cold Brew (reg. 200 calories for Grande)

• Order a Starbucks Cold Brew (5 calories for Grande) and add 1 pump of Irish Cream Syrup.

Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte (reg. 180 calories for Grande)

• Order with almond milk ($0.70) instead of 2% milk: Saves 80 calories
• Order with nonfat milk ($0.70) instead of 2% milk: Saves 50 calories
• Order with coconut milk ($0.70) instead of 2% milk: Saves 40 calories
• Skip the whipped cream: Saves 70 calories

 

Unlock the Starbucks holiday drinks secret menu.

Getting a twist on your favorite Starbucks holiday drinks is easy with the Starbucks holiday secret menu. This’ll add in a perfect personalized twist on all your favorite drinks. Here are just a few of the secret menu drinks you should try:

Irish Cream Frappuccino ($6.05)

• Order a Grande White Chocolate Mocha Frappuccino ($5.25)
• Add 3 pumps of Irish Cream Syrup ($0.80)
• Add Dark Chocolate Curls (no cost)

Candy Cane Cold Brew ($5.75)

• Order a Venti Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew ($4.95)
• Replace the Vanilla Syrup with 4 pumps of White Mocha Syrup ($0.80)
• Add in 4 pumps of Peppermint Syrup (no cost)

Snickerdoodle Cold Brew ($4.45)

• Order a Grande Cold Brew ($4.45)
• Add in 2 pumps of Cinnamon Dolce Syrup (no cost)
• Ask for a splash of half-and-half (no cost)

Hot Cocoa Cold Brew ($4.95)

• Order a Venti Vanilla Sweet Cream Cold Brew ($4.95)
• Add 4 pumps of Mocha Sauce ($0.80)
• Add a pump of Toasted White Mocha Sauce (no cost)
• Reduce the Vanilla Syrup to 2 pumps (no cost)

If you’re looking for more Starbucks secret menu drinks, we know every twist that’ll get you personalized Starbucks drinks for every occasion.

 

Starbucks holiday drinks tend to disappear mid-January.

Like the fall drinks menu, Starbucks doesn’t have an official cutoff date for serving holiday drinks. Instead, they serve them until supplies run out — which, for the winter seasonal menu, tends to be around the second week of January. Stock in store varies, though, so keep ordering your peppermint mocha until they tell you no. (And even if they do tell you no, try another location.)

But once it’s gone, it’s gone. And then you can start focusing your attention on the Starbucks summer drinks menu.