Pumpkin Spiked: for when you need something a little stronger than a latte

Emily Real
Thu, 26 Oct 2017 02:53:46 +0000
Arts & Life, Buckeye Bites, Dining, News, buckeye bites, captain morgan original spiced rum, chocolate liqueur, fireball, fireball cinnamon whiskey, hadley's bar and kitchen, melt bar and grilled, meltbucks pumpkin spiced latte, patron xo cafe, pumpkin float, Pumpkin spice latte, short north, smirnoff vanilla vodka, sothern tier pumking beer, spiced pumpkin shake

Hadley’s Bar and Kitchen is breaking out the pumpkin flavor for boozy drinks this fall. Credit: Emily Real | Lantern Reporter

Its fall, and that means pumpkin is everywhere. There must be something about that warm, sweet, cinnamon pumpkin-spiciness that screams hayrides, haunted houses, apple picking and toasty bonfires with friends.

But, it’s also midterm season. For college students, that classic autumnal flavor is perhaps only sucked down via pumpkin spiced lattes at 3 a.m., or through stress-eaten pumpkin pie, violently consumed the night before an excruciating math exam or 10-page term paper.

For those who want to both enjoy the delicious pumpkin flavor and drink their feelings at the same time, there are bars and restaurants all across the Columbus area that cater to those who crave all things pumpkin spiked.

Hadley’s Bar and Kitchen

Hadley’s Bar and Kitchen, sister bar to the Short North’s Bodega, is located in downtown Columbus at 260 S. 4th Street. Among other things, Hadley’s menu features fresh burgers, brunch items and a full service bar, complete with a rotating menu of seasonal boozy milkshakes.

This fall, Hadley’s is breaking out a Spiced Pumpkin Shake as part of the bar’s ever-evolving milkshake menu.

“We’ve changed it a little bit this year,” said Josh Rice, Hadley’s general manager and bartender. “We changed it from less of a pumpkin spice latte aspect to more of a pumpkin pie.”

Rice said Hadley’s Pumpkin Spiced Milkshake, like all of Hadley’s spiked milkshakes, is made with a base of vanilla ice cream, milk and distillates. The particular distillates used in their Pumpkin Spiced Milkshake is Fireball Cinnamon Whisky, for flavor, and Patron XO café, for a slightly sweet undertone.

“It’s kind of a weird choice, but the coffee in [Patron XO] –– because it’s tequila based –– it’s not really sweet,” Rice said. “Fireball’s sweet enough on its own so we combine the two together, and the coffee works really well against the cinnamon flavor.”

After the ice cream, milk and distillates are added, house-made pumpkin syrup is added in, and the shake is garnished with whipped cream, chocolate syrup, pumpkin spice and even a small slice of pumpkin pie on the side. ?

In addition to the Pumpkin Spice Milkshake, Hadley’s is also featuring a Pumpkin Float, which is a spin-off of a classic root-beer float. This drink is made with Captain Morgan Original Spiced Rum, vanilla ice cream and Southern Tier Pumking beer, which can also be ordered by itself on tap during the fall season.

Melt Bar and Grilled

For a more classic cocktail to suit customer’s pumpkin-spiced needs, Melt Bar and Grilled, located in the Short North, has put its own alcoholic spin on a pumpkin spiced latte.

One of the restaurant’s seasonal cocktails for September and October is the Meltbucks Pumpkin Spice Latte, which features Smirnoff Vanilla Vodka, Patron XO tequila, chocolate liqueur, pumpkin spice syrup, fresh whipped cream and a dash of freshly grated nutmeg on top.

“It’s brand new,” said Derek Wolfe, Melt’s general manager.. “We’ll have it through the season, and we expect it to grow.”