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In Colorado, we experience the changing seasons on a daily basis. One day the weather warrants a warm latte, the next, iced. Whichever your preference, here are seasonal lattes at local coffee shops that are full of holiday cheer — but without the liquor. Give your liver and brain a rest while you celebrate the season and sip on these cozy beverages. (’Tis the holiday season, so we recommend calling ahead to find out when these cafes are open over the next two weeks.)
Doppio Coffee
1245 East Colfax Avenue
303-537-7794
Our Christmas cheer-filled hearts are torn between the brown sugar maple latte or the Irish Mule as favorites at Doppio. The Irish Mule is a cross between two notoriously boozy mixed drinks: Irish coffee and a Moscow Mule, except Doppio's version comes sans alcohol. Instead, it's a mix of ginger beer, espresso and almond milk, for just the right amount of kick and creamy sweetnessl it's so good you'll forget that your bartender's actually a barista. On the other hand, the brown sugar maple latte is filled with homemade syrups and classic flavors that call to mind Buddy the Elf.
Spur Coffee
95 Lincoln Street, 303-309-0147
5624 South Prince Street, 303-309-0147
The menu at Spur tends to be more savory than sweet, so it makes sense that the cafe's best seasonal drink is a spicy version of a mocha called the Holy Mole. Made with homemade smoked chipotle chiles, cayenne pepper, chocolate, cinnamon and, of course, espresso, this drink warms you up in more ways than one.
EXPANDSapor Coffee & Concepts
2795 Speer Boulevard
Sapor's winter menu features drinks all named after characters in the Christmas classic Home Alone. You can sip on a Kevin McAllister, Old Man Marley or Gus Polinski while dreaming up ways to spread good cheer. While the last is Sapor's most popular, made with Sweet Bloom Hometown espresso and Royal Crest eggnog, our favorite is the Old Man Marley: a salted peppermint mocha that's the right amount of salty and sweet — just like the old man himself.
Sonder Coffee & Tea
9731 East Iliff Avenue
720-295-4674
At Sonder Coffee & Tea, choices abound on the fall/winter menu and include coffee mocktails like the Holiday Mule and non-coffee drinks like homemade cider, served hot or sparkling. Thanksgiving has come and gone, but our favorite drink is Sonder's version of a pumpkin spice latte, called Auburn Harvest. It's a latte made with organic sweet potato, a handful of holiday spices and a topping of torched marshmallows. On the warmer winter days (yes, this is Colorado), try one of Sonder's drinks made with cold brew, or opt for Earl Grey tea on tap.
EXPANDHuckleberry Roasters
4301 Pecos Street, 866-558-2201
1800 Wazee Street (inside the Maven Hotel), 866-558-2201
Huckleberry just rolled out its seasonal drink menu — two actually: one for the Dairy Block outpost and one for the OG Sunnyside cafe. While each menu is unique to its location, the Huck and Tonic can be found on both. Huckleberry's take on the classic mixed drink is made with espresso and tonic blended with a rotating syrup — currently a blood orange, ginger, cardamom and pepper infusion. The downtown coffee bar is using housemade eggnog in a latte called Nog Lyfe, while the Pecos street location is presenting a vanilla matcha drink called the Loch Ness Matcha.
Copper Door Coffee Roasters
900 West First Avenue, #180, 720-638-0915
7581 East Academy Boulevard, 720-432-1891
Copper Door's Solstice Spice coffee comes with a pack of spices to brew with your coffee, and is available in twelve-ounce bags at either shop or online, or you can order it by the cup to drink at either location. The coffee shop partnered with Savory Spice Shop to create a spice blend of Madagascar vanilla bean, Saigon cinnamon, Jamaican allspice, cacao nibs, grains of paradise and cardamom. Since the packet is separate, you can sprinkle as much or as little as you like on the grounds before brewing. It's the perfect Christmas-morning treat that you can brew for the whole family.
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