- What It Is: peppermint syrup, mocha sauce, espresso, milk, whipped cream, dark chocolate curls
- Recommended Temp: hot
- Price (tall): $6
Consider this a cup of liquid peppermint bark. Admittedly, it’s a bit of a sugar bomb because it’s made with two sweeteners instead of one. But the mocha is hot chocolate-level rich, and the minty-fresh finish is prominent without being overwhelming or medicinal—in the hot version, anyway.
“The iced peppermint mocha is far less balanced and much more cloying,” Pire says. “If I were the barista making the drink, I’d have poured the hot espresso directly on top of the pool of syrup at the bottom, stirred it to dissolve the thicker mocha sauce, then added ice and milk. If the sauces aren’t thoroughly mixed, the straw will pick up large pools of it with each sip, and you’ll be left to stomach the mocha sauce’s chalky texture and the bev’s improper ratio.”
Try it as a Frappuccino, if you don’t want it hot. The blended ice and milk will help dilute the sweetness of the double-syrup base. I fully acknowledge that it makes zero sense that I revert to my Frappuccino-toting high school days in the coldest season of the year, but I do, and I savor every sip.
