A Festive Sip: Why Holiday Drinks Are Big in 2025
There is something magical about Christmas in the Philippines. The lights get brighter, the weather gets colder (at least a little), and suddenly everyone is holding a seasonal drink—whether it’s a cup of creamy tsokolate, a festive latte, or a new holiday concoction from your favorite café.
And because holiday drinks always trend from November to January, this is the perfect time to round up the Trending Filipino Christmas Drinks . This year, the flavors are richer, the coffees sweeter, and the local twists more creative.
If you’re ready for something new to sip while waiting for Simbang Gabi or wrapping gifts at midnight, here’s what you shouldn’t miss.
1. Tsokolate Eh 2.0: The Modern Filipino Hot Chocolate
Classic tsokolate will always have our hearts, but 2025 has been the year of modernized tsokolate. Cafés are reinventing it with:
– Tablea + oatmilk blends (hello, extra creaminess)
– Toasted marshmallow tops
– Chili-cinnamon spiced versions
– Dark chocolate “dirty tsoko” with a shot of espresso
The new trend? Tsoko Oat Latte—rich tablea melted into Oatside Barista Blend for an ultra-smooth Christmas drink that feels like a warm hug.
2. Bibingka Latte & Puto Bumbong Latte
Filipino flavors continue to shine every year, but 2025 versions are more refined and less sugary.
Bibingka Latte
Expect notes of butter, toasted coconut, and a little smokiness. Some cafés top it with real bibingka crumbs for texture.
Puto Bumbong Latte
Purple, festive, and nostalgic. The 2025 version usually features:
– Ube-infused espresso
– Muscovado syrup
– Coconut foam on top
Pair it with the real thing after Simbang Gabi and you’ve got the full experience.
3. Christmas Coffee Jelly Frappe
Coffee jelly is having a big comeback—especially for the holidays.
This year’s trend: premium-style jelly using cold brew instead of instant coffee.
What makes it a Christmas hit:
– Vanilla cream base
– Strong coffee jelly
– Holiday sprinkles
– A little cinnamon dust for Christmas spirit
It’s festive, a little nostalgic, and always Instagrammable.
4. Ube-Macapuno Cold Brew
2025 is the year of ube cold coffee, and the Christmas version takes it further with macapuno cream.
Imagine:
Cold brew + ube syrup + macapuno foam + coconut flakes.
It tastes like Filipino dessert meets specialty coffee, and honestly, this might be one of the best new holiday drinks ever created.
5. Santa’s Melon Ice Cream Shake (Filipino Twist)
Melon? For Christmas? YES.
This trend started with artisan ice cream shops and has migrated to cafés.
Melon ice cream blended with:
– Milk or oatmilk
– A hint of pandan
– Crushed candy cane (the Filipino-meets-Western twist of 2025)
Refreshing, unique, and very Gen Z-approved.
6. Gingerbread Kapeng Barako
For those who want a strong Christmas drink, this is the winner.
Kapeng Barako + gingerbread spice syrup = festive and bold.
Some versions add:
– Molasses drizzle
– Cinnamon cold foam
– Nutmeg dust
It smells like Christmas in a mug.
7. Oatside Holiday Drinks (Cafés Are Doing This Everywhere)
Oatmilk is huge this year, especially Oatside Barista Blend, which many Filipino cafés now use.
Top Oatside-based Christmas hits:
– Oatside Salted Caramel Snow Latte
– Oatside Tablea Hot Chocolate
– Oatside Pistachio Christmas Latte
– Oatside Cookie Butter Oatmilk Macchiato
If you love oatmilk as much as I do, you’re going to love every sip.
8. Matcha Noche Buena (Matcha with Queso de Bola Foam)
This is the quirkiest but most interesting trend:
Matcha topped with queso de bola cold foam.
Surprisingly balanced.
A little savory.
Very Christmas.
Filipinos love queso de bola during the holidays, so why not on a drink?
9. Holiday Milk Tea Series 2025
Milk tea shops are rolling out their strongest holiday lineups this year.
Top trending flavors:
– Hazelnut Brown Sugar Christmas Milk Tea
– Taro Snow Milk Tea with Cream Puff Foam
– Caramel Toffee Pudding Milk Tea
– Nutella Cookie Crumble Milk Tea
These seasonal drinks usually sell out fast—especially around mid-December.
10. Sparkling Lychee-Calamansi Christmas Cooler
For non-coffee drinkers, this is one of 2025’s biggest holiday hits.
A refreshing mix of:
– Lychee
– Calamansi
– Soda or sparkling water
– Frozen berries
– Mint
Light, fruity, festive—perfect for all those Christmas parties.
Christmas drinks are more fun when they connect us to home—our traditions, our flavors, and the little indulgences that make the holidays sweeter. Whether you like something rich like tsokolate eh or something refreshing like lychee-calamansi coolers, the trending Filipino Christmas drinks offer something for every mood and every celebration.
If you try any of these, tell me which one you loved the most. I’m already planning my own list of Christmas drinks to recreate here at home.
