OK, so I need to preface this by saying that Starbucks' new holiday drink isn't alcoholic...one can only dream.
But it does taste like Baileys because of its Irish cream flavor.
Starbucks' new Irish Cream Cold Brew is the only drink out of the coffee giant's existing holiday beverages that's served cold. Now you're probably wondering why anyone would ever want to drink cold brew when it's snowing outside, and initially, I was skeptical too. But it turns out that Starbucks customers actually prefer cold beverages to hot ones - no matter the season.
The coffee giant says that cold drinks currently make up more than half of its U.S. Starbucks beverage sales - take that, iced coffee shamers!
Back to discussing the delicious holiday beverage.
Introducing the limited-release Irish Cream Cold Brew—a new take on a holiday classic. #IrishCreamColdBrew pic.twitter.com/1P6XFfAh92
— Starbucks Coffee (@Starbucks) December 3, 2019
The Christmassy cold brew is made with Starbucks Cold Brew Coffee, Irish cream syrup over ice, topped with vanilla sweet cream cold foam, and sprinkled with cocoa powder. It's a combo of vanilla and cocoa flavors that everyone seems to love and is basically a coffee lover's Christmas miracle.
I'm excited to see whether this new cold brew-based holiday beverage will fair as well as the hot ones that are already on the market this season - think Eggnog Latte, Peppermint Mocha, Caramel Brulee Latte, and more. But if Starbucks' Pumpkin Cream Cold Brew is any indication of how sometimes cold beverages can outshine hot ones (sorry, PSL), then I think the Irish Cream Cold Brew stands a chance.
Intrigued? Lucky for you, you don't have to wait any longer to taste this magical drink because starting today you can order it at a participating Starbucks near you in the U.S. or in Canada! A Grande Irish Cream Cold Brew will cost you between $4.45 and $4.75. You can also ask your Starbucks barista to have the vanilla sweet cream cold foam topping made with either almond milk, soy milk, or coconut milk, rather than plain ol' cow's milk.
Oh, and I have more good news for you. Starbucks is getting into the Christmas spirit this month by offering weekly Happy Hours in participating stores across the U.S. and Canada where you can get one free beverage when you buy a Grande or larger handcrafted one (yes, this does include holiday beverages). This deal is only valid between 2 and 7 p.m. every Thursday of December for customers who have the Starbucks App.
Mark your calendars and get ready to meet me and every other human with half a brain at Starbucks come Thursday! Forget about $1 "Vampire Drinks" from Applebee's, this is the real drink deal we've all been waiting for.
