Sleigh bells are ringing, and the Coca-Cola Company’s train is coming to people’s doorsteps with its holiday drinks. Once Halloween comes to an end and during the holidays, companies push out their new limited-time drinks for customers to enjoy during the holiday season, but who did it best?
When looking on the shelves and online, it was hard to find any drinks for the holiday season as barely any companies have brought special holiday flavors this year for consumers to buy. Coca-Cola announced that it will not be bringing back its holiday cinnamon flavor for a third year, along with many other companies. Since Coca-Cola did not provide a reason, only two big corporate companies have released holiday flavors. Sprite has brought back its Winter Spiced Cranberry, and Starbucks has brought back its holiday-themed menu, including the iconic Peppermint Mocha.
One of the most delicious tasting beverages that comes out every year is Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry. It has the taste of a typical Sprite and then the aftertaste of a cranberry. People have voiced their opinions on the soda, but I say that it is an acquired taste. It comes as a shock at first because of the spice, but after a few drinks, it becomes neutral and tastes amazing.
Sprite Cranberry was first created in 2013 to rival PepsiCo’s holiday drink, Mist Twist Cranberry Splash. Sprite Cranberry received a boost in popularity thanks to the 2016 commercial featuring Lebron James. The commercial quickly became part of internet culture and a tradition this time of year. This year marks the 10th anniversary of the cranberry-flavored Sprite but not without change, as the drink was rebooted in 2019 into Winter Spiced Cranberry and has continued to dominate the shelves for limited-time holiday sodas. People have been petitioning for the Coca-Cola Company to bring back the original, yet to no avail.
Starbucks has been a staple for high schoolers and for many around the world, and of course, they join in on the holiday fun. Starbucks has released multiple drinks for the holiday season but one of the most popular is the Peppermint Mocha. It first became available in 2002 and has not changed its recipe in over two decades. Starbucks also has other holiday drinks like the new Iced Gingerbread Oatmilk Chai or the returning Caramel Brulée Latte, but the Peppermint Mocha was the most popular out of all of them.
When opening it, one can smell the strong aroma of coffee and cocoa, and tasting it definitely brings out those two flavors but barely any peppermint flavoring. I’m not a coffee lover to begin with but It tastes so much like it, and I had to stop drinking it after a few sips since it tasted so bad with so much chocolate and coffee in it, I did not enjoy it. This drink did not bring any Christmas joy to my stomach, as it tasted nothing like peppermint. It would be better if there was a more prominent flavor of peppermint, and calming down the coffee and chocolate. Starbucks should change its recipe to incorporate the peppermint flavor more.
If I were to pick one of the two, it would be the Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry because it tastes more flavorful and is refreshing while the Peppermint Mocha from Starbucks only tastes like coffee. So it really depends on what type of drink people prefer and how much you care for the holidays, as the two are on two different spectrums of caffeine. If someone prefers a more caffeinated and traditional Christmas drink, I would suggest Starbucks’ Peppermint Mocha but if someone is the type of person who does like a simple, flavorful, less caffeinated and prefers a refreshing feeling after a sip, Sprite Winter Spiced Cranberry is a must this season.
Contact Ryder Richardson at [email protected]
