Christmas has arrived early at Starbucks in the UK, and it tastes like peppermint. Rewards members got a First Taste of the new seasonal drinks on October 29, a full week before the nationwide launch on November 5. The rest of us get to wait just a little longer, which feels fitting for a menu that lands while Halloween decorations are still up.
The headline is simple. Where the US holiday menu leans on tiramisu this year, the UK menu puts peppermint front and centre. Victoria Robertson, marketing director at Starbucks UK, put it plainly: “Peppermint has become a real fan favourite in the US and is a flavour that feels instantly festive, so we’re excited to bring that Holiday magic to even more customers this year.”
Peppermint Takes the Lead
Four new peppermint drinks anchor the menu. The Peppermint Mocha, from £5.40, pairs espresso and steamed milk with peppermint syrup and mocha sauce, finished with whipped cream and crunchy peppermint sugar sprinkles. It comes hot or iced. The Peppermint Hot Chocolate, also from £5.40, drops the espresso and keeps everything else, for anyone who wants the festive flavour without the coffee.
The Peppermint Mocha Frappuccino, from £5.70, blends the same syrup and mocha sauce with milk and ice under whipped cream and peppermint sprinkles. The drink most likely to start conversations, though, is the Iced Peppermint White Chocolate Matcha at £5.75. Matcha, milk, ice and peppermint syrup sit under white chocolate flavour cream cold foam and crunchy sprinkles, a cooler take on a flavour usually served warm.
The Returning Favorites
Familiar names are back alongside the newcomers. The Toffee Nut Latte returns at £5.40, with espresso, steamed milk, toffee nut syrup, whipped cream and toffee nut sprinkles, and the Toffee Nut Frappuccino follows at £5.55. The Gingerbread Latte (£5.40) and Gingerbread Frappuccino (£5.75) bring cinnamon and gingerbread whipped cream back too, and the Eggnog Latte returns with espresso, eggnog and a nutmeg topping. Customers can also upgrade any espresso drink to Starbucks Christmas Blend, an Arabica with notes of herbs and baking spices and a rich chocolate finish.
Something Sweet, Something Savoury
The food counter gets its own refresh. New sweet items include the Sticky Toffee Pecan Cake, the Chocolate Orange Cake Cube and a Red Velvet Scroll, a croissant filled with red velvet chocolate custard, each at £4.50. A Christmas Tree Brownie costs £3.90, a Reindeer Cake Pop £3.05, and a Tony’s Chocolonely Winter Edition chocolate bar £3.30. Returning treats include the Santa Bearista Gingerbread Cookie (£3.10) and the Mini Chocolate Chip Panettone (£3.70).
For lunch, there is a new Festive Deli Flatbread at £6.15, filled with turkey, sage and onion stuffing, hickory smoked maple bacon, turkey gravy, cranberry sauce and spinach. The Festive Feast Toastie (£6.40) and the Pigs Under Blanket Roll (£5.95) are back for another year.
Red Cups, With a New Companion
The Red Cups return on November 5 across participating UK stores, and for many regulars that red cup in hand is the real start of the season. This year they gain company: Starbucks is introducing its first ever Holiday Cold Cup, a festive option for iced coffees and Frappuccino drinks. Hot drink loyalists keep their ritual, and cold drink fans finally get a cup of their own.
An early taste through Rewards before the full launch is a small perk, but it fits how these menus work now. The first sips build the buzz, and by November 5 the whole lineup is in stores. If peppermint is your flavour, this is your year in the UK. If it is not, the toffee nut and gingerbread regulars are waiting right where you left them.
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