Review: Starbucks Reserve Eggnog-Spiked Holiday Treats Are Tasty, But The Non-Nog Option Is Better

For those who can visit the Starbucks Reserve stores in Seattle, Chicago, or New York City during the most wonderful time of the year, you're in luck indeed. As the 2024 holiday season quickly approaches, so do new food and drink items at these Starbucks Reserve locations.

Starting November 7, the familiar flavors of eggnog will grace the menus of these metropolitan Starbucks Reserve Roasteries, with the introduction of the Fog Nog Tea Latte, the Eggnog Espresso Martini, and the Iced Caramel Brulée Eggnog Latte. For festive bites, two new items will join the ranks of the high-end baked treats sold at Starbucks Reserve locations: a Pistachio Raspberry Tart and a Coffee Eggnog Holiday Cookie. Some tried-and-true holiday treats will also be returning to Reserve locations this season — the Starbucks Reserve Peppermint Mocha and the Starbucks Reserve Peppermint Mocha Espresso Martini, as well as the Cranberry Cheese Danish, the Chocolate Hazelnut Swirl Cake, the Classic Panettone (sold only as whole loaves during December 16-30), and the Potato Truffle Pizza. 

I had the chance to try each of the new Starbucks Reserve holiday menu items, and have each and every eggnog-drenched detail ready to share. Read on for my guide to the fresh lineup, and find out if these new items are worth ordering during this holiday season.

Some recommendations are based on firsthand impressions of promotional materials and products provided by the manufacturer. 

In true Starbucks Reserve fashion, the new offerings are just a little more zhuzhed up than standard Starbucks fare. In the beverage department, you'll find three new offerings: the Fog Nog Tea Latte, the Eggnog Espresso Martini, and the Iced Caramel Brulée Eggnog Latte.

The Fog Nog Tea Latte is a twist on a London fog Earl Grey latte, made with Earl Grey tea, white chocolate mocha, and liquid cane sugar, and topped with eggnog cream and a sprinkling of nutmeg. The Eggnog Espresso Martini is a festive upgrade to the Starbucks espresso martini already offered on the Reserve bar menu, made with Starbucks Reserve espresso, Zacapa No. 23 rum, cream, vanilla syrup, eggnog, cold foam, and nutmeg. And last but not least, the Iced Caramel Brulée Eggnog Latte is made with Starbucks Reserve espresso, eggnog, milk, and caramel brûlée sauce poured over ice, before a topping of cold foam is crowned with a hand-torched caramelized sugar crust — and a hot version of this drink is also available, without the torched topping.

Two new sweet bites will make their way to the Starbucks Reserve baked goods display this season: a Pistachio Raspberry Tart and a Coffee Eggnog Holiday Cookie. The pistachio tart is made with raspberry jam and pistachio frangipane, whipped pistachio white chocolate ganache, toasted pistachios, freeze-dried raspberries, and raspberry gelée inside a vanilla tart shell. The holiday cookie is made with white chocolate ganache infused with coffee and eggnog spices, sandwiched between two gingerbread-style spiced cookies with a festive cutout in the center filled with red and white sprinkles.

While supplies last, these new holiday beverages and food items will be available at Starbucks Reserve Roasteries and stores in Seattle, Chicago, and New York City. As these are holiday-specific menu additions, you can expect to see them offered through the month of December and possibly into the new year, but not long after that. 

Additionally for New Yorkers (or really dedicated Starbucks fans who don't live in New York but are happy to travel to the Big Apple), the Starbucks Reserve Empire State Building store will be home to a Starbucks Reserve Winter Wonderland Pop-Up. There guests can order the one-of-a-kind Empire State Cocoa Cocktail made with dark chocolate, steamed milk, and Hennessy V.S cognac.

This is the holiday season in a cup. It is the cozy sweater you put on when the weather outside is at its chilliest. It's the warm blanket you wrap around yourself on the couch after you've just enjoyed a gluttonous holiday meal. The London fog latte on the Starbucks menu is good enough on its own, laced with sweet vanilla and foamy milk on top, but I appreciate the use of eggnog cream here to lend a richer, silkier texture, while still remaining remarkably light overall.

Despite this being a drink made with eggnog cream, there's not a whole lot of eggnog flavor here. During each sip I was expecting to get notes of nutmeg and clove — the kind that make each sip taste like a spiced cookie — but they were almost nonexistent, though I did detect some noticeable cinnamon. That said, this is a lovely drink, and one that I would (and will) happily sip on all season long.

Perhaps the eggnog that was missing from the Fog Nog Tea Latte found its way into the holiday-season espresso martini instead, because the flavor here is wonderfully strong. Notes of nutmeg, allspice, clove, and cinnamon are present in each sip for what is essentially dessert in a martini glass. Made with Zacapa rum rather than the vodka I typically expect in a standard espresso martini from Starbucks, there's some wonderful flavor and spice happening throughout this eggnog-spiked version. A traditional espresso martini cocktail is undoubtedly enjoyable year-round, but having something more uniquely created for the holiday season is a real upgrade, especially when the flavors within are of the moment.

As delightful as this martini is, it's extremely rich. This drink would probably best be enjoyed in the mini version, which is part of Starbucks Reserve's limited-time Holiday Espresso Martini flight offer (also including mini versions of the regular espresso martini and the Peppermint Mocha Espresso Martini). However, I can't imagine ordering this as a full-size cocktail. 

I'm delighted that Starbucks Reserve locations are adding an iced beverage to their new holiday menu. The Iced Caramel Brulée Eggnog Latte is a bit of a mouthful to order, but as a winter holiday beverage, it's a delightful addition. The warmth and spicy notes from the dark caramel and toffee keep the flavors complex and interesting, and the eggnog cream adds some extra-rich and creamy texture to each sip.

The best and most whimsical part of this drink is undoubtedly the topping. Just like that crisp, sugary shell on top of a classic crème brûlée, a few gentle taps with the back of a spoon cracks the surface, leaving crunchy, sugary bites throughout. While a drink like this could be far too sweet, it's actually quite balanced, with the slight bitterness from the topping contrasting perfectly with the sweet cream. Warm and inviting, this is holiday beverage triumph in every sense. 

The food offerings at Starbucks Reserve locations are undoubtedly a step up from what you'll find at typical Starbucks sites, but the Pistachio Raspberry Tart has raised the bar even further. As a baked treat to order alongside a coffee, this is certainly on the heftier side, but since winter portions are always a little heartier than summer, this fits the bill just right. The crust has great flavor and snap, the whipped pistachio ganache is light and a little sweet, and the frangipane filling is wonderfully baked with a light, tender texture and a perfect balance of sweet and tangy. 

This tart would be far too sweet if it weren't for the raspberry gelée in the middle, providing just the right contrast to cut through the sugary goodness around it. This feels like a foray into some really well-crafted, high-end baked goods from Starbucks, and I hope it's a sign of more creativity to come from the bakery artists. 

'Tis the season for really creative, fun cookies, and Starbucks Reserve has really leaned into it with the Coffee Eggnog Holiday Cookie. The baked dough is like a perfectly made gingerbread cookie with a slightly softer texture, but still featuring plenty of warm spices. Sandwiched between the two cookies is a coffee-eggnog buttercream, with plenty of roasted coffee flavor coming through. The white chocolate helps to round everything out, tamping down any bitterness that may come from the coffee flavoring, and giving the ganache an even more luxurious texture.

The spiced, hearty cookies with the sweet and creamy filling makes for a balanced bite, albeit a hearty one. One of these is more than enough to satisfy all my sweet-tooth cravings for the foreseeable future — but if I'm going to indulge in a festive holiday cookie, this is an excellent one to meet the moment. 

As a New Yorker who has easy access to more than one Starbucks Reserve location, I feel fairly lucky to be able to take advantage of the offers they serve. There's something oddly satisfying about walking into any one of these Reserve sites and getting to order a martini and a freshly baked gourmet pizza whenever the mood strikes. Starbucks Reserve has kept that satisfying feeling going with these new festive flavor options, making my martini and snack stops that much more enjoyable. If and when you find yourself close to a Starbucks Reserve, I recommend visiting and treating yourself to any and all of these holiday-themed treats.

While all the new items on the holiday menu are notable, the one that really stands out to me is the Pistachio Raspberry Tart. The whole point of these Starbucks Reserve locations is to offer a more nuanced, fanciful experience, and I think the introduction of this particular baked good perfectly captures that. There's some serious creativity and ingenuity that went into the building of this delightful sweet, and while it may just seem like another decorative sugary something, I really am blown away by each and every element. 

As the cold weather and shorter days descend upon us, find a few moments of cozy respite with any one of these new holiday beverages or food items. But seriously, don't skip the Pistachio Raspberry Tart.