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Better Late Than Never: McDonald's Finally Brings Back Its Festive Coffee Drink

Watch your back Starbucks!

Most fast-food chains prepare customers for the holiday season pretty far in advance by bringing back or launching new and nostalgic drinks and treats early. Starbucks and Dunkin' re-released fan favorites like the Chestnut Praline and Toasted White Mocha in early November, while Wendy's and Chick-Fil-A both came out with new peppermint-inspired desserts closer to December. In late November, McDonald's re-released the iconic Holiday Pie, but there was still no word from McDonald's on a certain classic holiday beverage

But this week, the Peppermint Mocha quietly returned to participating stores across the country for a limited time.

The Peppermint Mocha is made with espresso, steamed milk (whole or nonfat), peppermint chocolate syrup, whipped cream, and even more syrup to top it all off—and it can be ordered either hot or iced.

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But if coffee isn't for you, no need to fear. Certain locations will also offer the Peppermint Hot Chocolate, a combination of steamed milk and peppermint chocolate syrup, topped with whipped cream and a sweet drizzle of more peppermint chocolate syrup.

In previous years, McDonald's had resurfaced this festive drink at the beginning of December, except for 2019, when the beloved item didn't appear. There were rumors of McDonald's Peppermint Mocha being discontinued, but those were squashed when the chain surprised fans in 2020 and now again in 2022 with a late product launch.

Awaiting this day, customers have been going to Twitter to express how much they love and miss this seasonal beverage. "@McDonalds Why don't you do peppermint mocha anymore y'all had the best 😭," one wrote, while another said, "What [is] the Peppermint Hot Chocolate/Mocha situation this year @McDonalds – it's December 1st and the app still doesn't show it's available…"

Another thing to keep in mind, for those looking to get their caffeine in while on a budget, McDonald's Peppermint Mocha Latte usually starts at $2-3 whereas a small one at Starbucks is going to cost you nearly $6.

Jordan Summers-Marcouillier
Jordan Summers-Marcouillier was born and raised in San Jose, California and now works as a writer in New York, NY. Read more about Jordan