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7 Fall Drinks Better Than A Pumpkin Spice Latte
By Jamie Wetherbe
Come fall, pumpkin-spiced lattes are as ubiquitous as Miley Cyrus Halloween costumes and Angelenos shivering in their uggs and shorts. To celebrate the season, we rounded up a few drinks with a different spin on sugar and spice.
FIZZY LEMONADESince pumpkins aren’t the only fruit in season, Cliffs Edge mixologists have concocted a new mocktail inspired by SoCal’s ripe citrus flavors. This is a decidedly autumnal take on a drink with a summery reputation. The Silver Lake restaurant’s fizzy lemonade blends sweet spiced-pear puree with kicks of ginger, lemon, cinnamon and a dash of balsamic that's aged 25 years, for a rich, layered taste that can also be spiked to your liking.
LAVENDER LATTEWhile the Silver Lake gelato parlor brews the requisite pumpkin latte, coffee drinkers looking for something less sugary can get their fix with the in-season lavender latte at Pazzo Gelato. Subtly sweetened with house-made syrup, this latte offers an earthy, herbal taste to counter the sugary hot drinks that come with the holidays.
FALL SEASONAL JUICEFall also signals the start of flu season, so Clover opted to forgo the pumpkin in favor of seasonal fruits and veggies in the hopes of boosting your immune system. For its new Fall Seasonal concoction, the L.A. juicery spins spinach, cabbage, cucumber, celery, cayenne and lemon, tomato and garlic into a raw, cold-pressed juice.
HOT CHOCOLATE SHAKEPinkberry serves up a childhood flashback with its hot chocolate shake. Blended with ginger wafers and hot chocolate frozen yogurt, the seasonal shake tastes like a chilled version of the hot cocoa and graham crackers you had as a kid, hints of marshmallow and all.
GINGER ORANGE JUNIPER BÄCO POPBäco Mercat, a downtown darling, bottles its own line of signature sodas for $3 a pop. The growing list of Bäco pop includes a blend with orange, ginger and juniper soda with a mix of sugar and spice aptly flavored for the season.
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CELEBRATION COFFEE
Intelligentsia Coffee brews its annual Celebration blend from the best beans the year—and a dozen or so different countries—have to offer. The roast, available November 1, pairs hints of citrus and mulling spices to complement holiday dishes, including the soon-to-come pumpkin pies.
HOT APPLE CIDER
Perhaps nothing says autumn has arrived more than hot apple cider, whatever the temperature outside. Teuscher steams its spiced cider with organic California apples cinnamon, orange peels, cloves and ginger—flavors fitting for a rustic mountain lodge, even though its brewed on the streets of Beverly Hills.Jamie Wetherbe covers art and entertainment for the Los Angeles Times. Raised in Minnesota, she's a fan of baseball, wine and passport stamps. She lives in L.A. with her three mutts, Butch, Luke and Meow.
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You come to LAist because you want independent reporting and trustworthy local information. Our nonprofit newsroom doesn’t answer to shareholders looking to turn a profit. Instead, we answer to you and our communities. We are free to follow facts wherever they lead and to hold power to account without fear or favor. Our only loyalty is to our readers and listeners and our mission: to inform, engage, and strengthen Southern California’s communities.
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