The Forgotten Fall Drink

Sweet deliciousness in a cup

Every coffee house and commercial I know and seen is heavily touting pumpkin lattes. From Starbucks to Peet's to Coffee Bean and International Delight, everyone has something to say about Pumpkin Lattes. Don't get me wrong. Seeing a pumpkin latte arrive at Starbucks does signal the beginning of fall. There's that sweet and spicy aroma in the air, and it warms you from the inside out. It's hard to believe that it's been 10 years since this drink was first introduced. But there is one drink that is quite overlooked this time of year. It's Starbucks Caramel Apple Cider!

I discovered this drink last year when I was trying to give up coffee, especially that 2pm coffee, when my co-worker decided to get a few Caramel Apple Ciders for the office. At the time, we all got tall drinks but quickly realized that tall was too small. We had to go big or go home. We tried a bigger size, the grande, and it was just right.

This little sweet fall concoction is made with fresh apple cider, cinnamon syrup, topped with whipped cream and a drizzle of caramel sauce. And apparently, this little drink is actually on the kid's menu, not the regular Starbucks menu. I have actually been to stores and have asked to have it made since sometimes I don't see it on the menu. You should definitely try this little heavenly treat. It's best served very warm but not scalding hot so if you do order it extra hot, wait until you get to your destination to indulge. For 360 calories per grande, it's quite a splurge but well worth it.

Oh, and a side note. While my delicious drink was sitting perfectly in my car, nestled in my cup holder, I had to run into a store and left it there. My two dog challenges thought it would be quite hilarious to pick the cup up and proceed to dump in on the passenger sit. We are talking 60 and 80 pound pups. You would have thought they used "thumbs" to dump the drink since the lid was still intact. The seats were so sticky they were almost unbearable to sit on. But the smell was terrific.

How are you celebrating the change and challenge of a new season?