Every Item On The Starbucks 2022 Holiday Menu, Ranked

When the calendar turns to November, many people are already thinking far beyond Thanksgiving and all the way to the winter holiday season. And they're certainly not alone. Starbucks, for example, celebrates with a seasonal menu that runs from the beginning of November all the way into the new year. Not only that, but shops are also fully stocked with unique holiday merchandise that is perfect for gift-giving.

Furthermore, since they arrived on the scene in 1997, Starbucks' iconic red cups have become nearly as synonymous with the season as Mariah Carey's "All I Want for Christmas is You." This year, the cup designs feature four different patterns in white, red, and green, like something right out of your favorite wrapping paper aisle.

All wrapped up in those cups, you'll find six festive drinks that return as fan favorites: Peppermint Mocha, Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte, Irish Cream Cold Brew, Caramel Brulée Latte, Chestnut Praline Latte, and Toasted White Chocolate Mocha. The holiday menu also includes several sweets sure to help you find and keep your holiday spirit, including a Chocolate Pistachio Swirl, Reindeer Cake Pop, Snowman Cookie, Sugar Plum Cheese Danish, and Cranberry Bliss Bar. While we look forward to the Starbucks holiday menu each year — there are always some drinks and sweets that stand apart from the others, and this year is no different.

The Peppermint Mocha is a classic holiday favorite. In fact, in 2022, Starbucks is celebrating this festive drink's 20th birthday. When it first premiered in 2002, the Peppermint Mocha featured red sprinkles, and though those sprinkles are now chocolate curls, today's drink is very similar to the one from 20 years ago.

Starbucks' mocha sauce leans more toward dark chocolate than milk chocolate, and for this drink, baristas use the same mocha they use throughout the year on other drinks. In addition, it now seems the peppermint syrup is also available year-round, so although the drink won't always have those chocolate curls, you can order a Peppermint Mocha whenever you need that extra bit of cheer throughout the year.

Though promising, this was our least favorite of the holiday drink items. Simply put, the flavors got lost and felt muted, as though they just weren't strong enough. We think the base drink probably needs another pump or two of peppermint to make it stand out. That might help us enjoy it more. With so many excellent holiday drink options, it may not be surprising this was toward the bottom. Although we ordered a hot drink, you can order this one as an iced or even blended option, but you'll miss out on the cool Starbucks holiday cups if you do. Instead, consider dressing up your Peppermint Mocha by asking for half your mocha pumps to become white chocolate for a tuxedo Peppermint Mocha.

Toddlers around the country will absolutely love this perfectly themed holiday treat. This Reindeer Cake Pop is a ball of vanilla cake molded to have ears and covered in milk chocolate. Then, it gets an adorable face with frosting. Little ones who love cake pops throughout the year will also enjoy this holiday treat. Plus, it even has a little red nose. You'll be able to find this at any Starbucks that regularly serves cake pops, including Target. In fact, you may notice that this cake pop is the same shape as the Target dog sold in the Starbucks locations inside of stores.

We love this treat for the holiday-loving kid in your life, but it's a little less exciting for adults. Like other cake pops, we found the cake inside to be very dense and moist, nearly fudge. That said, it is very sweet and tasty, so if you're looking for a quick treat to satisfy that sweet tooth, this may be the perfect option.

Families who celebrate with Elf on a Shelf could even use this little cake pop as the perfect surprise from their holiday visitor. Imagine how cute it would be if your kiddo woke up to their favorite little elf offering a cake pop straight from Rudolph and the North Pole.

The year 2019 brought the release of the Irish Cream Cold Brew, and as Starbucks explains it, the inspiration for the flavor comes from product developer Erin Marinan's memories of putting together batches of Irish cream for gifts during the holidays. Now quite the popular drink, Irish Cream Cold Brew begins with Starbucks' smooth cold brew coffee. Then, it gets some Irish cream syrup with a hefty helping of that sweet and delicious vanilla sweet cream cold foam on top. To finish it off, your barista will sprinkle cocoa powder in a beautiful line down the drink.

It's honestly hard to go wrong with an excellent cold brew. After all, the Vanilla Cream Cold Brew is a steadfast favorite for many. However, our complaint is the same here as it was with the Peppermint Mocha and Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte: We want more syrup. Irish cream syrup is delicious and deserves to be more of the star of the show rather than being overpowered by the cold foam. Even still, this drink is smooth and sweet, and you'll definitely get the essence of what Starbucks was going for here. While an iced drink may not be the first drink you imagine during the winter months, this Irish Cream Cold Brew has an underlying warmth to it that you'll love.

After a five-year drought that left the Starbucks faithful with no new holiday beverages, 2014 brought something new: the Chestnut Praline Latte. Starbucks heralds Amy Dilger, a research and development manager for the company, as the one who inspired this unique flavor, curated from the scents of European Christmas markets.

Together with your choice of milk, Chestnut Praline syrup mixes with espresso to create this delightful holiday beverage. On top, you'll get a swirl of whipped cream and praline crumbles to finish it all off. In addition to the hot beverage, you can order this one iced or even as part of a coffee Frappuccino or a creme Frappuccino with a non-caffeinated base. This way, even your sweet Starbucks kiddos can fall in love with this drink.

At its heart, the Chestnut Praline Latte is pure holiday fun and is truly Christmas in a cup. The toasted chestnuts come through nice and clear, sending your senses into their own holiday-drenched winter wonderland with you sitting in front of a fire with chestnuts roasting. It's pretty perfect just the way it is, but Starbucks has an even better drink in store for the holidays.

The holiday season means so many things to different people. Everything from decorations to gift-giving to attending gatherings probably comes to mind. But there's also an untold amount of stress each holiday season, and that comes in many forms too. For many, one of those significant stressors is bringing the perfect dish to a holiday gathering. And while there are plenty of delicious Christmas dinner sides you can choose from, if you're running short on time or just learning to cook, it still might be a bit overwhelming. Well, thankfully, Starbucks has a solution for you: the Cranberry Bliss Bar.

Cranberry Bliss Bars are sold in stores as simple, delicious pieces as well as in a tray for sharing, making it the perfect little dessert to grab on your way to that stressful holiday gathering. Of course, you can't go wrong with a blonde bar full of cranberries that is topped with a tart and delicious cream cheese spread with orange zest and dried cranberries sprinkled throughout. This little dessert certainly lives up to its name. With an easy bite, this bar is perfectly soft and feels fresh from your kitchen.