Candy canes. Gingerbread. Nogs of all ilks. It's winter in the rest of the world, but we Phoenicians have the luxury of enjoying all the delicious flavors of the season without any of the icky, snowy consequences. Let's toast to that while we celebrate some of our fantastic Phoenix-area cafes.
Here are four seasonal treats to try, and one that's not really seasonal, but will provide you with a delicious escape from the stress of the holidays.
See also: 5 Gifts for the Coffee Lover: Chow Bella Gift Guides 2014
Rollover Donuts: Danzeisen Dairy Eggnog Latte
Some folks believe in Nog's supreme power. Others are still skeptical (we'll call them Eggnogstic). Love it or loathe it, the spiced milk drink is a fixture of the holiday season, so slurp it up while it's still seasonally appropriate to do so.
Rollover Doughnuts, the kiosk formerly known as Shine Coffee, recently became the first cafe in town to carry Danzeisen Dairy products. Danzeisen, a Laveen-based dairy with seriously great branding, has been a purveyor of delicious udder sauce since 1959.
Rollover's Eggnog Latte can be served hot or iced, and has a pretty simple composition: Danzeisen eggnog, Press Coffee Roasters espresso. That's all. Enjoy.
Crepe Bar: Nordic Spiced Hot Cocoa
In typical Crepe Bar fashion, this hot cocoa will probably change your life for the better. The cocoa starts with a mixture of sugar, water, roses (!), and Heart Coffee (!!). Salted Lakrids (fancy Danish black licorice candies) are then added to the syrup mixture, along with 100% Valrhona Cocoa. Add a little milk, and you've got a cocoa that won't quit. Sweet, sumptuous, floral, anise-y, and of course, delectably chocolatey, this drink is the mjolnir of winter beverages.
Lux Coffeebar: House-made Hot Apple Cider
Mark your calendars, CenPholks: Lux will be debuting its hot apple cider on Monday, December 15th.
Okay, this isn't technically a coffee drink. But if hot cider is wrong, we don't want to be right. The cider recipe is a family heirloom of one of Lux's mixology staff, and will likely make its way into some tasty alcoholic drinks as well.
Giant Coffee: 24 Blackbirds Chocolate Mocha
Before your warm up your commenting fingers: we know, there's absolutely nothing seasonal about a mocha. But Giant Coffee recently debuted this drink, and it's just too darn good to leave it off this list. Straus Family Creamery milk, 24 Blackbirds chocolate, and Four Barrel Espresso form the perfect base for a not-too-sweet, impeccably balanced mocha.
If you are a dark chocolate lover, and want to relish in a coffee drink that's much more palatable than your crazy family this holiday season, look no further.
Urban Beans: Pumpkin Spice Latte
Here's a little secret about Urban Beans: if you ask politely, they'll make you a pumpkin spice latte to put all others to shame (read as: no artificial anything, no cloying sweetness). Let's paint a word picture: real pumpkin, aromatic spices, and Espressions espresso. If you absolutely must do the Pumpkin Spice thing, do it right, and do it local.
