Today, Starbucks is releasing its first new drink of the 2018 holiday season. The beverage is called the Juniper Latte, and it's quite a departure from the chain's classic holiday drink menu.
Starbucks seems to have an affinity for hitting its customers over the head with holiday flavors whenever the cheerful time of year rolls around. The chain's Peppermint Mochas and PSLs are anything but subtle, always offering intense bursts of sweetness. While we don't usually mind feeling like we're drowning in a sticky ginger river each time we take a sip of a Starbucks Gingerbread Latte, a deluge of powerfully sweet flavors isn't what we want every single day of the holiday season. That's where Starbucks new Juniper Latte comes in.
Perfect for the mornings when you want to celebrate the season but would rather not overwhelm your senses, the new Juniper Latte starts with espresso. Steamed milk infused with juniper syrup is then added, and the drink is finished with velvety foam and a dusting of pine-citrus sugar. We had a chance to try the new seasonal latte, and we were quite impressed. The new syrup makes the drink feel like a treat without it being overly sweet. The end result is a beverage that offers faint whispers of woodsy botanicals. One sip will transport you to the snowy woods, but won't make you feel like you're getting lost among those fragrant pines.
This new addition to Starbucks' holiday drink menu was inspired by the Juniper Latte that was introduced at Starbucks Reserve Roasteries and Reserve Bars last holiday season, but this is the first time a version of the Juniper Latte can be ordered at all company-operated and licensed Starbucks locations nationwide. The new beverage is available starting today, Tuesday, November 27 through the holiday season while supplies last. With its recently-released chic holiday cups and the new Juniper Latte, 2018 is shaping up to be Starbucks' most subtly cool holiday season ever.