The beginning of November does not only indicate the start of a cold winter. Christmastime is getting a head start this month with seasonal holiday flavors now being offered at the University of Illinois-Springfield campus Starbucks, located in the Student Union. This year’s lineup features four classic favorites, one returning flavor with a new twist and additional, festive add-ons. It can be difficult to pick just one drink with all of the various choices on offer, but I and a few of the other campus baristas are here to share our holiday recommendations.
This year’s holiday lineups include the Peppermint Mocha, the Caramel Brûlée Latte, the Chestnut Praline Latte and the Sugar Cookie Almond Milk Latte as recurring favorites. The Gingerbread syrup returns after several years in the form of the Gingerbread Oat Milk Chai Latte. All of these syrups will be offered in cold foam form as well and can be added to any menu item.
The Caramel Brûlée Latte is the pick for sophomore barista Jimena Vega. This drink is inspired by the French dessert, crème brûlée with a touch of caramel to add some flavor. Jimena likes to add a non-dairy milk to her drinks and this arguably adds an even better layer of flavor to the latte. Her favorite milk to add is oat milk, which adds more sweetness to the drink.
Sydney Deweese is a senior at UIS and she loves making the Chestnut Praline Latte. This flavor is a nutty, smooth flavor for those who are not as fond of holiday sweets. The drink is topped with whipped cream and dusted with sugar, spiced praline crumbs. She has recently enjoyed combining white mocha sauce and toffee nut in a shaken espresso, which is reminiscent of caramelized cookies.
Teddy Bowen, a junior at UIS, favors the brand-new Gingerbread Oat Milk Chai Latte.This drink is topped with a gingerbread oat milk froth and dusted with pumpkin spice, enhancing the spicy flavors of chai that we all know and love. A popular add-on for this beverage is cinnamon cold foam, which adds a unique twist onto the gingerbread syrup.
Isabella Eller, a junior at UIS, and I share a favorite drink. We both love to drink a chai tea latte with sugar cookie syrup added to the latte. I like to pair this drink with oat milk, but the sugar cookie syrup complements the spices of the chai tea extremely well. Isabella likes to add vanilla sweet cream cold foam to her drinks for a more enhanced flavor.
With the semester coming to an end, what better way is there to use up your leftover I-Card money than to come visit your campus baristas on the second floor of the Student Union. The holiday menu will only be available on campus until the end of the semester, so these barista picks are here for a limited time only. We have a lot of holiday cheer to spread and we are doing that one latte at a time.
