If you read the title of this article and thought, “It’s March, why is this girl still talking about holiday drinks?,” you’re probably not alone. But, you should be sad because you don’t know about the secret two month holiday drink grace period at Starbucks. That’s right, if you go into Starbucks anytime between December and February, you can still get holiday drinks. But sadly, it is March and that means no more gingerbread, peppermint, or my personal favorite, caramel brulee. I will admit that I am kind of in denial about it, but I have slowly been easing into a red cup and caramel brulee sprinkle free lifestyle, and I’ve learned to adapt. Since it is still cold, hot drinks are on the menu and everyone’s favorite summer drinks are still taking a backseat. So for all of you who are struggling with what to order right now, here are a few new drinks to try and some oldies but goodies in case you are out of ideas.
– Vanilla Spice Chai Latte— A Starbucks barista told me about this delicious concoction that tastes like Christmas in a cup, basically it’s a super amped up chai tea latte. If you like chai tea, try this and you definitely won’t be disappointed.
– Vanilla Spice Latte— This variation is also really good and is still pretty reminiscent of the holidays.
– Caramel Macchiato— This is not nearly as good as the caramel brulee latte, but if you add enough caramel sauce, you may be able to mask the fact and fool yourself. This is even better iced in the spring and summer!
– Peppermint Mocha Via— This past holiday season, Starbucks released peppermint mocha via their instant coffee products and is now selling it online. If you really can’t live until next December, this is a perfect solution for you! Also, another secret is that some Starbucks have peppermint syrup year round, so definitely ask them first if they can still make Peppermint Mocha.
If all else fails, a caramel frappucinno will probably help to get you though until next Red Cup season. Although I do recommend ordering it light unless you want the 8 million calories that come along with everyone’s favorite blast from their middle school past. Even though it seems forever away, Red Cups will be back on November 2nd, and hopefully we can all hold out until then.
http://www.starbucks.com/coffee/flavored/starbucks-peppermint-mocha
http://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/espresso/vanilla-spice-latte
http://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/tazo-tea/chai-latte
http://www.starbucks.com/menu/drinks/espresso/caramel-macchiato