Winter is on the horizon, and coffee shops are gearing up for the season. While classics like peppermint mochas and gingerbread lattes are always in demand, many shops are getting creative with new drinks designed to entice customers and play with flavor combinations.
Here’s a look at how five shops are refreshing their winter menus in 2024 — or bringing back tried and true creative classics — to celebrate the season and keep customers coming back for more.
Fulcrum Coffee Roasters
Location: Seattle, Washington
Drink: Cardamom Cookie Latte
The Cardamom Cookie latte is back this winter at Fulcrum Coffee Roasters. Introduced two years ago, this drink is part of their “cookie milk” series, which uses classic cookies to inspire seasonal beverages. In a past winter iteration of the series, the team made an Oreo Mint Latte with Oreo-infused milk and mint syrup to evoke the flavor of a mint Oreo cookie.
For this one, the folks at Fulcrum made milk infused with a Nilla Wafer, a type of sugar cookie with a vanilla flavor often used for banana pudding, and paired it with cardamom syrup. The cardamom’s herbaceousness balances the milk’s sweetness to give the drink a rich, layered winter profile.
“None of our drinks are too sweet,” says cafe manager Kelsey Foreman. The team at Fulcrum makes their syrups and cookie milks from scratch, which allows them to control the sweetness.
At Fulcrum, creating seasonal drinks is a team effort. Baristas pitch their ideas, and management provides the supplies for everyone to experiment and collaborate. Foreman says she gets inspired by visiting cafes and bakeries outside Seattle.
“Whenever I travel, I try something new,” Foreman says. “A lot of times, it’s a dessert where you could put similar flavors into a latte. You try these new combinations and see what works.”
Madcap Coffee
Location: Grand Rapids, Michigan
Drink: The Polar Eggspress
The seasonal menu at Madcap Coffee typically features three unique drinks: one espresso-based, one filtered coffee-based, and one non-coffee option. A standout from their lineup is a dairy-free eggnog drink called The Polar Eggspress, which has become a customer favorite.
“We used to offer both dairy and non-dairy versions, but now we’re leaning into the dairy-free option because we have such a huge customer base that doesn’t drink dairy,” says owner Trevor Corlett.
The Polar Eggspress is made with spiced vanilla syrup and garnished with freshly grated nutmeg, clove, cardamom, cinnamon, and mulling spices, all blended with plant milk. “It’s a luxurious eggnog you wouldn’t necessarily get everywhere,” says Corlett. It’s available as either a coffee or a non-coffee beverage. The coffee version is a latte with espresso and egg nog, served hot or cold.
Like at Fulcrum, Madcap’s seasonal drinks are a collaborative effort. Baristas submit drink ideas but also have to think through how to source ingredients, manage workflow, and think about pricing. “It becomes a professional development opportunity,” he says. “We want them to be intentional about the workflow and the cost of the drink. Since we make everything in-house, it takes a lot of love and attention to detail.”
Jaunt Coffee Roasters
Location: San Diego, California
Drink: Coconut Zinger
At Jaunt Coffee Roasters, the Coconut Zinger spices up the menu. Made with almond extract, spices, coconut extract, and a dash of red chili flakes, this latte adds a touch of heat to the winter menu.
While some drinks push the boundaries of traditional coffee flavors, others lean into more familiar tastes. “A lot of our customers are more mainstream, so they want flavors they’re familiar with,” says owner Jimmy Silva.
The balance between creativity and customer preferences matters when curating the menu. “You need to understand what people in your community are going to want,” says Silva. “It’s one thing to have a specific vision for your shop, but your menu needs to reflect where you’re situated.”
Jaunt’s seasonal drinks are often inspired by the latest culinary trends. “I look at what chefs are doing and think about how I can translate those flavors into a latte,” says Silva. “I try not to make it too out there—accessible, but still interesting.”
Sterling Coffee Roasters
Location: Portland, Oregon
Drink: Maple Sage Latte
The Maple Sage latte has become a winter bestseller at Sterling Coffee Roasters. It starts with espresso, rustic Vermont B-grade maple syrup, known for its deep, smoky flavor, and a bourbon barrel-aged syrup, which adds rich, woody depth to the drink.
The syrup is infused with fresh sage and simmered for 20 minutes to bring out its earthy aroma and complexity. The drink is finished with a sprinkle of Jacobson’s sea salt and served with a sage leaf on a bamboo skewer.
At a shop where baristas hand-deliver each drink to seated customers, Sterling’s approach to seasonal drinks is centered around the customer experience. “If we’re going to make a caramel latte, it should be the best we’ve ever had,” says owner Aric Miller. “We’re talking smoky caramel with sea salt—the whole experience.”
For Miller, the customer experience goes beyond just flavor. It’s about how drinks are presented, the balance of ingredients, and the service that makes each visit feel special. He believes in treating coffee as an ingredient and emphasizes the importance of understanding your customer’s preferences. “You have to think of [building a recipe] like a chef,” he says. “It’s not about how I like to drink coffee.”
Peekskill Coffee
Location: Peekskill, New York
Drink: Nutty Pumpkin Latte
Seasonal drinks are a staple at Peekskill Coffee. Their menu has classics like a gingerbread latte and peppermint mocha every winter, but it’s the rotating specials that keep things exciting. One of their current seasonal specials is the Nutty Pumpkin latte: a blend of pumpkin, praline, and cinnamon, made with an espresso base.
Every two weeks, Peekskill adds a new special to the menu, which gives staff the creative freedom to experiment and bring fresh ideas. Past specials include the Cha Cha Chai, a peppery spiced chai with vanilla syrup, and the Gettin’ Toasty Latte, a hot or iced latte featuring toasted marshmallow syrup. “We let our team members come up with their own recipes,” says cafe manager Kristen Niemiec-Fiume. “They’ll look at ingredients we already have and figure out how to use them in new ways.”
The seasonal drinks are so popular that some customers visit just for them. “People get excited when a new special drops,” says Niemiec-Fiume. “Some are disappointed when their favorite isn’t on the menu anymore, but out-of-towners always want to try something unique.”
The goal at Peekskill is simple: keep the menu fresh and fun. “We want to keep things interesting so our menu doesn’t get stale,” says Niemiec-Fiume. “We are looking to add more house-made syrups to the menu as we go.”
