World enews: Starbucks unveils pink holiday cups as fan favourite drinks return to seasonal menu

The wait is finally over. Starbucks has officially unveiled its new menu items for the holiday season, complete with pink holiday cups.

Beginning Thursday 2 November, coffee lovers will be able to order their favourite festive flavours from Starbucks, as well as one brand new drink offering. Making its return for the holiday season is the classic Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, Chestnut Praline Latte, and Iced Sugar Cookie Almondmilk Latte.

A new addition to the holiday menu is the Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai, which takes the nostalgic flavour of gingerbread and combines it with creamy oatmilk and a blend of chai spices. The original Gingerbread Latte launched in 2000, and was a mainstay on the Starbucks holiday menu for nearly two decades.

“It’s a love letter to gingerbread and ginger,” said Matt Thornton, senior beverage developer at Starbucks. “The gingerbread flavor amplifies the spice of the chai.”

Starbucks stores in the United States that serve Oleato, Starbucks coffee infused with olive oil, will offer another new menu item – the Oleato Gingerbread Oatmilk Latte – for a combined flavour similar to freshly baked gingerbread and olive oil cake.

“The combination of the Starbucks Blonde Espresso with the steamed oatmilk infused with olive oil is nice and balanced with the gingerbread syrup uplifting all those spice notes,” said Billy Altieri, senior product developer. “It’s cozy and warming with an enjoyable dash of holiday flavors.”

To make matters even more festive, the American coffee chain debuted its design for this year’s holiday cups, which include a touch of pink. Bridget Shilling was the artist behind the 2023 holiday cup collection, which comes in four designs: party plaid, peppermint swirl, ribbon spool, and bauble wrap. Meanwhile, iced coffee cups come with ornament-inspired baubles and white sparkles. Each cup also features a gift tag to write notes or share a seasonal sentiment with friends or family.

“When we were looking at trends when designing this year’s holiday, we kept seeing bright, bold, uplifting colours,” said Kristy Cameron, creative director at Starbucks. “We found that magenta alongside the holiday reds and greens lifts the traditional holiday colours and makes the red look even brighter.”

The theme behind this year’s Starbucks holiday cup collection was “Share the Joy”, highlighting how the “shared human experience and togetherness” is what makes the season so special.

“Starbucks red cups are like little wrapped gifts for our partners and customers,” Cameron said. “My hope is that they feel excitement and joy when they see the cups, and that they want to share them with family and friends.”

As always, Starbucks included a few festive treats to its holiday menu. The gingerbread loaf, peppermint brownie cake pop, cranberry Bliss Bar, snowman cookie, and the sugar plum cheese danish are sure to get anyone in the holiday mood.

Starbucks holiday beverages and pastries are available to order in the US beginning 2 November.