Exploring the process behind the popular limited-time drinks
By AALIYAH ESPAÑOL-RIVAS — campus@aggie.org
When Yeyoung Kim, a fourth-year human development major and outfront supervisor of the ASUCD Coffee House (CoHo), clocks in and sees a new drink recipe posted on the coffee bar, she knows it’s the beginning of a new month.
“I really enjoy making the Drink of the Month, because there’s always something new to expect — it’s an exciting start to each month.”
Kim is just one of the many baristas who helps produce the CoHo’s special, limited-time drinks. The changing beverage, offered at Swirlz Bakery and at the South CoHo location, typically reflects the season, upcoming holidays or mainstream trends.
Previous featured drinks included the fall-favorite pumpkin spice latte, winter-themed candy cane mocha and strawberry matcha for Valentine’s Day.
According to CoHo Student Manager Jonathan Mendez, a fourth-year genetics and genomics major, the monthly drink is chosen by student employees.
“The making of the Drinks of the Month is more of a collaborative approach between all of the student managers and also all of the employees that work there,” Mendez said. “Either I’ll have an idea or the idea will be pitched to me. I look at what’s popular, what have I tried that I’ve liked and also keep in mind trends.”
After deciding on an idea, Mendez will see what the CoHo has in stock, maximizing their resources while still creating something new.
“I also try to be very resourceful,” Mendez said. “Obviously, we have access to other products and things we can bring in, but if we can use up everything that we have, it also goes into preaching the sustainability factor that Davis prides itself on.”
Following the trial-and-error process of concocting the drink, Mendez will let others sample it in order to get general feedback. From there, the beverage will either be reworked or deemed ready to debut on the menu.
“Once I have a recipe that I feel might work, I’ll make it, and then I’ll give it to the student managers,” Mendez said. “It’s kind of like I’m a little chemist, […] brewing potions.”
The monthly special was offered intermittently in the past, only becoming a consistent marketing promotion during the 2024-2025 school year, according to Mendez. In an effort to consistently debut new drinks, the Swirlz team has compiled the list of drinks for each month ahead of time, instead of doing it on a monthly basis.
Stella Baum, a third-year community and regional development major, is a fan of the Drink of the Month promotion, but wishes there was more student input.
“It would be really cool if there was a newsletter that was sent out that students could request drinks at,” Baum said. “Or even if they picked a few options students could go through and vote for, it would feel a bit more democratic and reflective of the student body.”
While they may only be around for a short time, students can hold out hope to see some of their favorite drinks return as seasonal offerings.
In October 2024, the Drink of the Month was a pumpkin pie chai, with a “CoHomeade” pumpkin cold foam. It soon became a fan-favorite and returned this fall quarter as a seasonal drink offered from September through the end of October.
“The pumpkin cold foam — it was really popular this year — will probably come back next year,” Mendez said. “We definitely take a lot of pride in making our coffees.”
Students can find the November Drink of the Month, a chai with a pomegranate cold foam, at Swirlz in the Memorial Union or at the CoHo South Café in the Student Community Center. Mendez encourages CoHo patrons to give feedback on these drinks and any other CoHo offerings, by reaching out via email to Front House General Manager Levi Menovske at lsmenovske@ucdavis.edu.
Written by: Aaliyah Español-Rivas — campus@theaggie.org
