By: Calle Caldwell

As fall settles and the holidays near, the growing excitement around seasonal drinks from iconic coffee brands grows. For many coffee lovers, the release of the fall menus at Starbucks, Dunkin, and 7Brew marks the beginning of the holiday season.

BHS teacher Paige Lewis shares that she looks forward to their release each year. “I have a group chat of all of my college roommates, 13 of us, and the day that the pumpkin spice latte drops, the group chat is blowing up,” she said.

Perhaps the most iconic fall drink drop is the pumpkin flavor at each chain. All three chains carry pumpkin flavoring during the fall, as well as other flavors such as the Pecan Oatmilk Cortado at Starbucks and the Cereal ‘N Milk Latte at Dunkin.

For the holiday menu, Dunkin is dropping staple drinks like Cookie Butter Cloud Latte and Peppermint Mocha, as well as a new refresher: Berry Sangria. At Starbucks, favorites like the Sugar Cookie Latte, Caramel Brulée Latte, and Iced Gingerbread Chai are returning. 

“Starbucks has a better holiday menu even though I’m a Dunkin stan,” Lewis said. Her personal favorite to try is the Iced Sugar Cookie Latte.

Senior Allison Hollis prefers 7Brew. “I love 7Brew; I just hate the 20-minute drive,” she said. “My favorite Christmas drink is currently the Holiday Punch – it’s pomegranate and blackberry in a Redbull and it is literally amazing. I recently tried it with cold foam and it’s perfection.”

Fall and holiday drinks are a constant trend on social media. Tik Tok and Instagram rave about the exciting new flavors and drops on each menu. 

“I am very easily influenced when I see a pretty drink or see people hyping a drink; I will then think about it for a week until I try it,” Hollis said.