Kolbie PetersonWarty pumpkins are on houses’ stoops. Pumpkin beer is on grocery store shelves. And we’ve finally had a week of gloriously gloomy, chilly weather after enduring the heat of summer. Folks, it’s fall, and it’s time to start enjoying drinks that feature the flavors of the season.
You can go to any Starbucks and get a pumpkin spice latte. But if you’d like an alternative that will help you get in the fall spirit, here’s a list of six local drinks that range from coffee, to tea, to beer. Enjoy, and happy fall!
Sunroom Coffee: Cinnamon Roll coffee
(Kolbie Peterson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Cinnamon Roll coffee from Sunroom Coffee.
If you’re weary of pumpkin! spice! everything! but still want a sweet fall drink, try the Cinnamon Roll coffee on the fall menu at Sunroom Coffee, at 470 W. 200 North, suite 100, in Salt Lake City.
Flavored with housemade cinnamon roll syrup, each drink is concocted by lining a cup with gooey cinnamon butter and then topping off the coffee with cream-cheese-icing cold foam and a sprinkling of cinnamon.
The finished product tastes exactly like the baked treat, spiced and inviting, and is delicious iced. And just like how real cinnamon rolls can get too sweet fast, so can this drink — ask for it made slightly less sweet if that’s not your thing.
Salt City Che: Pumpkin pie Vietnamese coffee
(Kolbie Peterson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The pumpkin pie Vietnamese coffee from Salt Lake Che.
For a twist on a PSL, try the pumpkin pie Vietnamese coffee from Salt City Che, at 3585 S. Redwood Road in West Valley City.
This festive drink starts with black coffee brewed in a traditional Vietnamese phin, which is a metal filter where the water drips through coffee grounds slowly, resulting in a concentrated cup of coffee.
The coffee is sweetened with condensed milk and ice is added to the cup, then pumpkin pie foam goes on top.
The result is a bold, sweet drink. Make sure to sip some of that foam off the top because it tastes just like a slice of pumpkin pie with a dollop of whipped cream on it.
Culture Coffee: Apple pear cider
(Kolbie Peterson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The apple pear cider from Culture Coffee.
If you’re craving a fall drink that’s neither pumpkin-flavored nor coffee, this apple pear cider from Culture Coffee, at 285 N. 900 West in Salt Lake City, is for you.
It’s made with sparkling apple-pear cider, cinnamon, lemon zest and cardamom, and topped with a slice of dehydrated pear and a whole pod of star anise. You can order it sparkling, which I recommend, or hot, if the day is chilly.
This drink tastes like something you’d order after an afternoon of apple-picking. It’s bright, just lightly sweet and gently carbonated with lots of warming spices.
Un Cafecito: Banana bread latte
(Kolbie Peterson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The banana bread latte from Un Cafecito.
The iced banana bread latte from Un Cafecito, at 838 W. North Temple in Salt Lake City, is a more understated take on a fall latte, if all the sugary drinks of the season have you bogged down.
Made with housemade banana bread syrup, espresso and milk, with vanilla cold foam on top, this drink has subtle banana bread flavor and just enough sweetness to be easily sippable.
It’s the perfect thing to enjoy while curled up in your favorite sweater.
Hopkins Brewing Co.: Basic Witch stout
(Kolbie Peterson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The Basic Witch stout from Hopkins Brewing Company.
The Basic Witch pumpkin pie chocolate stout from Hopkins Brewing Co., at 1048 E. 2100 South in Sugar House, is a midnight-black potion to sip on before you raise some hell with your coven.
Brewery owner Chad Hopkins threw actual whole pumpkin pies into the kettle in order to brew Basic Witch, and the result is a thick, rich beer with notes of dark chocolate and spices that’s actually a little bitter.
In an Instagram post, the brewery described this beer as “a little spooky. A lot delicious.” The perfect beer for witches who aren’t so basic.
The Tea Grotto: Pumpkin pie houjicha latte
(Kolbie Peterson | The Salt Lake Tribune) The pumpkin pie houjicha latte from The Tea Grotto.
The pumpkin pie houjicha latte from The Tea Grotto, at 401 E. 900 South in Salt Lake City, is delicious proof that coffee isn’t the only drink of fall.
If you’re unfamiliar with houjicha, it’s a Japanese green tea that’s roasted over charcoal, giving it a nutty, slightly smoky flavor. The houjicha and spiced pumpkin cold foam (made with organic in-house syrup) are easy friends in this drink, which is lightly sweet and finished with cinnamon sugar on top.
It’s an entirely new way to experience the season’s flavors of pumpkin and spices.
