The era of pumpkin spice everything may be coming to a close, or it might still be in full swing. It’s still up for debate. Either way, there are definitely some underrated fall drinks that deserve just as much attention the PSL has received the past few years. Here are a few to try the next time you swing through your favorite coffee shop!
Hot caramel apple cider
Think steaming milk for a latte, but make it apple cider. Most coffee shops have some sort of variation of this. For a sweeter option, melting caramel right into the drink is delicious, and tastes like a liquid caramel apple sucker. Try it at home by heating up cider in a pan on the stove, and throwing in some caramel once hot. Serve at your next festive fall gathering!
Dirty chai
When you need a kick of extra caffeine, a dirty chai is the way to go. You get the espresso shot for energy, and the toasty, spicy flavor of the chai to get you in the fall spirit. To recreate at home, you might need an espresso machine and milk frother to achieve peak dirty chai. Foam milk to around 130 degrees and pour over an espresso shot for your latte base, and add in chai syrup/concentrate to create your dirty chai. If an espresso machine is not in your kitchen set, heating milk in a pan until warm and pouring over a bold coffee and some chai syrup also works!
Cinnamon latte
This isn’t quite the flavor you might expect when you take the first sip, but boy is it good. The cinnamon flavoring makes it almost “spicy” – in a cinnamon red hot kind of way. If you make it at home, the ground cinnamon you can put in over a latte base might be a bit nuttier in flavor than a coffee shop’s cinnamon syrup, but it’s still super tasty!
Salted caramel latte
A caramel-y, warm, salty little heaven, a salted caramel latte is your new fall favorite. Starbucks makes theirs with toffee syrup and tops it with caramel and sea salt, and you can recreate this at most coffee shops. They might even have a tastier variation. For an at-home option, repeat the milk and coffee or espresso machine instructions for dirty chai, and add caramel and sea salt instead!
Images via Giphy