‘Tis the season to relax on the couch in flannel pajamas, pop in “Home Alone” and sip hot chocolate to quench your holiday drink thirst.
It’s that time of year when the Starbucks and CC’s Coffee House lines are out the door, with cooler temperatures sending students scrambling for hot pumpkin spice and gingerbread lattes.
Chain coffee shops aren’t the only ones with noticeable customer increases. Local shop Highland Coffees sees a bump in sales of its three most popular holiday drinks: the peppermint mocha, gingerbread cappuccino and pumpkin spice latte.
But, if you’ve got an espresso machine and some syrup, you don’t have to leave the house to enjoy some warm holiday sweetness during the most wonderful time of the year.
Highland Coffees barista and textile, apparel design and merchandising junior Jillian Keiffer said nearly any recipe can be followed for holiday drinks, especially lattes, as long as there is flavored syrup, milk and espresso.
“We do our lattes with steamed milk and espresso, and we just add syrup to the lattes,” Keiffer said.
Keiffer said the toughest part about making holiday drinks at home is espresso. The peppermint, gingerbread and pumpkin spice syrup is much easier to obtain and work into the drink, but the espresso is an essential component that’s harder without an espresso machine.
“They’re really basic recipes and steps to do it. It’s just important that you have really high quality ingredients, and you need an espresso machine,” Keiffer said. “You can’t really steam milk at home without an espresso machine.”
Syrup or sauce can be purchased online, at coffee shops and at most stores that sell cooking supplies. All of the drinks require steamed milk and shots of espresso, and not everyone has an espresso machine — especially college students who live in dorms.
Highland Coffees barista and LSU alumna Becca Lee-Sherman provides a possible solution to the lack of an espresso maker.
“Stovetop espresso could work,” Lee-Sherman said. “We sell the little stovetop espresso. You just basically need a strong coffee.”
Lee-Sherman said many things can be substituted for holiday drinks, including the syrup. Instead of purchasing syrup, you can make your own with fresh
ingredients. Strong, dark coffee can also be a substitution for espresso without a stovetop or standard machine, though Lee-Sherman said espresso shots are best for the taste.
For the peppermint mocha, Keiffer said she uses one-third steamed milk; one-third espresso, which is one shot; two tablespoons of Ghirardelli chocolate powder, which can be found in grocery stores; and one ounce of peppermint-flavored syrup. Keiffer said some people like to top the mocha off with fresh ground nutmeg, whipped cream or even get festive with a candy cane.
The gingerbread cappuccino has more espresso than a mocha or a latte — two shots instead of one. Keiffer said she uses one and a half ounces of gingerbreadflavored syrup, then one-third steamed milk.
The pumpkin spice latte has similar ratios to the peppermint mocha and gingerbread cappuccino, with two-thirds steamed milk, one-third espresso and one and a half ounces of pumpkin spice flavored syrup, Keiffer said.
All of these recipes can make one delicious 12-ounce drink or several smaller drinks. As far as preparation, Keiffer said it’s tough to mess up, and mixing the ingredients isn’t as important as the ingredients themselves.
“You just want to emphasize what ingredients you’re using,” Keiffer said. “We roast all of our coffee, so it’s really fresh.”
For each drink, she recommends putting the flavored syrup in the cup first, then steaming the milk and pouring it into the cup, so it’s as fresh as possible. Then comes the espresso, which Keiffer said needs to be poured slowly over the milk and syrup right after it’s pulled for optimal freshness.
The peppermint mocha requires the shot to be poured over the Ghirardelli powder to melt it and make a chocolatey paste.
Though she suggests them, Keiffer said none of the ingredient amounts or steps are rules to live by when making drinks at home.
“People can change them to fit their tastes,” Keiffer said. “Some people want them sweeter or less sweet.”

Gallery • 11 Photos

Catherine Seddon

Around the holidays Highland Coffee specializes in festive treats such as their pumpkin spice latte and pumpkin bread on Nov. 15.