Over 27% Think This Is The Best Holiday Drink At Starbucks

The two most joyous days of the year happen to be when Starbucks announces the return of its glorious pumpkin spice latte, and two, when the coffee chain deems it time to release its iconic red cups. Come rain or shine, Starbucks is never tardy with its festive menus — it's their limited-edition menus that unofficially announces the start of a new season after all!

Like clockwork, Starbucks announced their holiday lineup on November 3 this year, and much to everyone's delight, the Peppermint Mocha was back for the 19th year in a row (via Starbucks Stories & News). However, many fans of the coffeehouse chain were disappointed to find out that the Christmas classic eggnog latte didn't make the cut this year, meaning even die-hard devotees had to scramble to find a new holiday favorite at the café.

With six drinks in total on the holiday menu (one that is entirely new), which should you order? Considering that time is ticking and the festive drinks will soon go away until this time next year, Mashed surveyed 608 Starbucks drinkers in the U.S. to find out which holiday drink they think is the brand's best. After all, life's too short to drink bad coffee, especially over Christmas!

Starbucks has been bringing back its Peppermint Mocha for 19 years for a reason — it's a huge fan favorite. And, as the recent Mashed survey found, the Peppermint Mocha has also been deemed the chain's best holiday drink, taking in 27.47% votes in the poll — and further supporting the idea that chocolate and peppermint is the most iconic flavor combination of the season.

Coming in second place in the poll was the Caramel Brûlée Latte, nabbing 25.49% of the votes, while the holiday sugar sparkle and white pearl-topped Toasted White Chocolate Mocha came in close behind in third place with 23.19% of the votes. In fourth place was the Irish Cream Cold Brew. If you like the Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew on the fall menu you might like this holiday drink, though the Irish Cream version only took 9.21% of the votes in this poll. 

Of the two remaining drinks, the Iced Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte didn't fare so great with just 7.73% of the votes. The brand-new drink for 2021 was hyped for being the first non-dairy option on the Starbucks holiday menu (via People), but even baristas on Reddit noted that the sugar cookie syrup and almond milk combination is, quite frankly, awful and that no amount of sprinkles can really redeem it. 

The worst holiday drink on the Starbucks holiday drink menu, as noted by Mashed survey participants, was the Chestnut Praline Latte bringing in just 6.91% of the votes. This doesn't really come as a surprise considering the drink has coffee and ... caramelized chestnuts. All-in-all, the survey says: Stick to the classics.