We Were The First To Try Starbucks’ New Winter Menu — Here’s What We Think

The time is finally here! The holiday menu at Starbucks is finally making its return. Just about the only thing that can compete with PSL season is the return of the festive spirit. And this year’s holiday menu features four all-new beverages that we’ve been eagerly awaiting to get a taste of them.

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The Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew and Latte accompany the Apple Pomegranate and Snowy Apple Refresher on the holiday 2026 menu at Starbucks, introducing some novelty and variety into the Starbucks catalog. When we were given the opportunity from Starbucks to taste these drinks a couple of days early to the official release, we were quick to jump on the opportunity. With all these new drinks to break down, we knew we’d have to take our readers along for the ride too. So without further ado, this is our official Sporked ranking and review.

Our Official Ranking

Apple Pomegranate Refresher

More so than my opinion on this drink, the determining factor of whether or not you should order this is whether or not you like Green Apple Jolly Ranchers, because that is essentially the only flavor that this drink really provides. It’s very strong, aggressive, and not very natural tasting, but I do know that some people genuinely love that strong tart green apple flavor that we see in hard candies and gummy bears alike.

But, if you were going to order this drink thinking it would taste something along the lines of an amplified apple juice or cider, that’s far from what you will be getting. That’s not to say that it’s necessarily a bad thing, but just know what you’re getting yourself into before ordering. I would also add that the pomegranate popping boba doesn’t really add anything to the drink in terms of nuance other than the texture.

Rating:

6.5/10

Sporks

Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew

Whereas the tiramisu latte feels deeply celebratory of the sweet, delicate creaminess that we often see during the holiday season, the cold brew feels a bit out of place. The cold brew itself doesn’t have any cream in it aside from the tiramisu velvet topping, so the balance of coffee and creamy flavors that feels inherently tiramisu-like isn’t as represented in this drink as it is the latte.

The flavor of the cold brew is very overpowering in a way that doesn’t make the drink bad, but it doesn’t let you really appreciate the subtle flavors of the cold foam and chocolate dusting. We’d still happily drink the whole cup, though, and if cold brew is your go to drink then this is a nice option on the holiday menu that doesn’t feel overbearing with an in-your-face holiday kick.

Rating:

7/10

Sporks

Snowy Apple Refresher

Generally, I would say that I don’t prefer the creamy versions of refreshers to their traditional fruity counterparts. However, for this case in particular, I would say that the very harsh apple flavor is delightfully mellowed out by the creaminess in a way that makes the drink more palatable and easy to sip.

Otherwise, the drink’s pale creamy green color in combination with the little red popping jewels gives the drink a very wintery look that’s delightful. Plus, it’s lovely to us that this drink isn’t overbearingly sweet. Because the apple flavor is so tart, it doesn’t feel as sugary and imbalanced as some of the traditional sweet flavors like the Strawberry Açai Refresher.

Rating:

7.5/10

Sporks

Tiramisu Velvet Latte

I think a major issue we’ve been having with a lot of the tiramisu-themed drinks recently has just been that it simply doesn’t taste like tiramisu because coffee is already the primary flavor of tiramisu. And often times there’s an artificial sweetness in these coffees that really deteriorates the flavor and completely takes you away from the mindset that it could even be tiramisu flavored to begin with.

This drink in particular is by far the best version of a tiramisu latte that we’ve tried up until this point, though. That is primarily due to the fact that it does not rely on any heavy artificial flavors to give it a tiramisu essence. It simply is a sweet and very creamy coffee with a mascarpone top which feels more inherently symbolic of the dessert itself. Plus, the chocolate dusting on top gives it that tiramisu-like quality without becoming something more adjacent to a mocha coffee, which we think is more or representative of the dessert overall.

Rating:

10/10

Sporks