Updated October 5, 2026: Starbucks just put a date on Christmas coffee season: November 5. And the new Tiramisu Velvet drinks come with mascarpone cold foam. Okay, that is a reason to pay attention.
This is our running Holiday Drinks 2026 headquarters: what the big coffee chains have actually announced, what last year’s menus tell us about timing, and the Christmas drinks from the TTB archive that are worth keeping on your radar while we wait for the official launches.
For the full Starbucks announcement, cup news and the remaining unconfirmed theories, head to our separate Starbucks Holiday 2026 tracker.
The holiday drinks worth seeing while we wait for the full 2026 menus
Holiday drinks are half flavor and half “I need to see the cup immediately,” so this hub should actually show you what we’re talking about. The first image below is a confirmed 2026 holiday product. The older drink photos are clearly labeled as archive examples; use the linked 2026 trackers for current ingredient and menu status.
A closer look at the new Starbucks holiday arrivals
- Starbucks’ New Apple Pomegranate Refresher Has Popping Pearls
- Starbucks Turned Its Glass Bear Cup Into a Bearista Cake Pop
- Starbucks’ Holiday Bearista Collection Has a Plush Keychain, and the Glass Bear Is Coming Back
- Starbucks Is Adding a Braised Short Rib Grilled Cheese to Its Holiday Menu
Quick 2026 holiday drink tracker
- Starbucks holiday menu: confirmed to begin November 5, 2026, with new Tiramisu Velvet drinks and an Apple Pomegranate Refresher.
- Starbucks Eggnog Latte 2026: the focused tracker for whether the fan-favorite eggnog drink returns.
- Starbucks Caramel Brulée Latte 2026: the focused tracker for the recurring holiday latte.
- Dunkin Cookie Butter 2026: the focused tracker for the Cookie Butter Cold Brew / Cloud Latte family.
- Dunkin Holiday Menu 2026: the chain-specific tracker for the full Dunkin holiday lineup.
That way this page stays the holiday-drink headquarters, while the individual trackers can answer the very specific “is this drink coming back?” searches without turning the hub into five copies of the same story.
What is officially confirmed for holiday 2026?
Starbucks announced its holiday preview on October 5. The menu starts November 5, 2026, with returning Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, Sugar Cookie Latte and Gingerbread Chai. New arrivals include a hot or iced Tiramisu Velvet Latte and Tiramisu Velvet Cold Brew, both topped with mascarpone cold foam and a cocoa-and-coffee dusting.
There is also an Apple Pomegranate Refresher with pomegranate-flavored pearls and a coconut-milk Snowy Apple version. The food preview includes a Bearista Cake Pop, Braised Short Rib Grilled Cheese and Turkey & Stuffing Sandwich with a new recipe. Our Starbucks Fall 2026 guide still covers the pumpkin-season lineup before that holiday switch.
The Dunkin and Dutch Bros sections below retain the earlier announcements and historical dates we have tracked. Starbucks confirming its lineup does not confirm either chain’s holiday plans.
The previous holiday calendars below remain useful context for the other chains.
When does the Starbucks winter menu start in 2026?
Last year, Starbucks announced its 2025 holiday launch date on October 6 and brought the menu to stores on November 6. The lineup included Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulée Latte, Iced Sugar Cookie Latte and Iced Gingerbread Chai, with Chestnut Praline Latte and Eggnog Latte returning later in the season.
The confirmed 2026 Starbucks holiday-menu launch is November 5. Red Cup Day will return later in the season, but Starbucks has not announced its date in the October 5 preview. The original Bearista Glass Cold Cup is also coming back, with its timing still to be announced. Those are separate dates to watch.
Dunkin usually waits even longer
Dunkin announced its 2025 holiday menu on October 29 for a November 5 launch. That menu brought back Peppermint Mocha and Toasted White Chocolate Signature Lattes and added the Cookie Butter Cloud Latte plus a Berry Sangria Refresher. For the Dunkin-specific 2026 status, use our Dunkin Holiday Menu 2026 tracker.
So if early October feels early for a complete Dunkin Christmas menu, that is because it is. We are watching the official newsroom instead of turning old menu leaks into new facts.
Dutch Bros went festive on November 1 last year
Dutch Bros launched its 2025 holiday menu on November 1 with the Hazelnut Truffle Mocha, Candy Cane Mocha, Mistletoe Rebel and Holiday Cookie Freeze. Later in November it added Jingle Nog as a latte and chai.
Again: useful history, not a confirmed 2026 menu. But if you are a Candy Cane Mocha person, yes, we are absolutely watching this one.
And then there is the Starbucks Secret Menu situation
TTB has years of Christmas Starbucks drinks in the archive, including Peppermint Mocha Cold Brew, Candy Cane Cold Brew and a whole collection of character drinks. Some of those can still be ordered when the ingredients exist. Some depend on syrups, toppings or seasonal bases that disappear.
Our existing Christmas Starbucks Secret Menu roundup is still the place for the actual recipes. This page is different: it is the 2026 scoreboard for what is official, what is historical and what still needs to be checked against the current menu.
The holiday drinks we are watching hardest
Peppermint is the obvious one. Starbucks had Peppermint Mocha on its 2025 holiday menu, Dunkin brought back Peppermint Mocha, and Dutch Bros returned the Candy Cane Mocha. Starbucks has now confirmed Peppermint Mocha for November 5, 2026. We still need each other chain’s own announcement before adding its drinks to the confirmed list.
We are also watching gingerbread, sugar cookie, chestnut praline, cookie butter, white chocolate and eggnog-style drinks because those flavors have shown up in recent official holiday menus.
Three questions now have their own answers: whether Starbucks will bring back the Eggnog Latte in 2026, whether the Caramel Brulée Latte is coming back in 2026, and whether Dunkin’s Cookie Butter drinks will return in 2026. Starbucks has now confirmed Caramel Brulée Latte for November 5. Eggnog Latte was not named in its October 5 preview; that is not the same as a cancellation. The individual guides track their own source updates.
What gets added here next
As Starbucks, Dunkin, Dutch Bros and the other big chains start making their 2026 holiday announcements, we will add the exact drinks, launch dates and official sources here. If a rumor is interesting enough to mention before confirmation, it will be labeled as a rumor — not quietly upgraded into “news.”
Basically, bookmark this one. The minute Christmas coffee season actually starts, this page is going to get ridiculous.
