Peyton Martin, SGA Beat Writer: 

Hot chocolate is something that can be enjoyed by all ages. With its warm, chocolatey aroma, you can’t go wrong. Hot chocolate for me simply adds to the fall aesthetic. Being able to curl up with a cup of hot coco and blankets while reading a book is simply the best for rainy days in autumn.  

 Personally, I love to add vanilla creamer to my hot chocolate after my friend had me try it back in high school. It adds more sweetness to the drink as a whole. Hot chocolate made with milk is also better than when it is made with water. 

Overall, my favorite fall drink is hot chocolate.  

Vince Smykal, Copy Editor: 

I’m a black coffee guy. This is not a testament to my manliness or something else equally dumb. Usually, I’m just too lazy to add creamer, sugar or milk to my beverage. I’m also too much of a wuss to experiment with different flavors when ordering at a coffee spot. In fall, however, I enjoy a delightful witch’s brew of autumnal spice known as the one, the only, Dunkin pumpkin spice latte.  

I’m tired of our culture’s crusade against pumpkin spice. What’s not to like about the Dunkin pumpkin latte? It’s a drink that rhymes! Also, the warm coffee and pumpkin spice feel like a hug in a mug in the cold weather. Also, Dunkin is relatively cheap.  

Yes, I know that the aftertaste feels like you’re eating a Hobby Lobby. I like it. Call me basic, call me hyper-consumerist, call me a mainstream millennial for all I care. In fact, I don’t care. As long as I got that pumpkin spice, I’m fine with whatever verbal harassment comes my way from the countercultural crowd.   

Gavin Petrone, News Editor:

To me, apple cider is the defining drink of fall. When I visit pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and haunted houses, I’m always sure I find a stand that sells apple cider. Bonus if the cider is sold in cartons so I can take it with me.  

Apple cider transcends taste and temperature. It is good both cold and warm and defines the taste of the fall season. Apple cider is at its best when purchased locally from small farmers. When one consumes this divine nectar, not only are they consuming apple juice in its best and purest form, but they support local businesses along the way. 

Apple cider can be deceiving as well. It masks itself as juice when the leaves are green, and then swoops in as a new mature cider once the season begins to change. It’s so good in this new form that it takes on the taste of the autumn season, a trait that no other fall beverage comes close to doing in my opinion. 

Cassandra Harris, Editor-in-Chief:

When the seasons changed, and I went grocery shopping, I found myself purchasing 40 fluid ounces of the “Pumpkin Spice Latte Chilled Espresso Beverage” from my local Walmart.  

Although this is supposed to be a recommendation, I want to warn you all that after taking several swigs of it I felt immediate caffeinated-pumpkin-spicy regret. Sometimes I require coffee to function, so I forced myself to finish what tasted like literal fall leaves ground into a beverage. 

According to Editor-elect and Target team member Carson Folio, the Downtown Target does indeed sell the “Pumpkin Spice Latte Chilled Espresso Beverage,” so please beware and do not waste your money on these bottled Starbucks drinks.  

If you wish to consume pre-bottled pumpkin spicy coffee from Starbucks look no further than the smaller glass bottles that they also sell. They taste way better in comparison. 

Carson Folio, Editor-Elect: 

As indicated by the opinion piece highlighting the best drinking fountains on campus, water is the beverage of choice for this editor. However, some extra flavor is a need as well.  

Joining several other people in this article, apple cider may be the fall drink to have, even more so if you’re lucky enough to find homemade apple cider. Refreshing, tasty, and free of super-artificial flavoring, what more would you need?  

Pumpkin spice isn’t a bad flavor by any means, but that is a flavor usually associated with coffee and too much caffeine. Neither of those elements mix well for this editor, unless the objective is to purposely get a pounding headache. 

Michael Klug, Co-Photo/Website Editor:

While it isn’t a fall-esque drink, Dr. Pepper is most certainly a staple of fall. Sure, it doesn’t have any pumpkin flavors – that would be gross, but what it does have though is the spiciness of a fall leaf. I don’t eat leaves or anything, but I imagine that they taste spicy, like a cold Dr. Pepper in the fall.  

I can say the same about Baja Blast Mountain Dew. I remember when I used to go to Taco Bell, and I would rush towards Baja Blast. After all, it is one of my go-to Mountain Dew flavors.  

While it may be my chronic caffeine addiction talking, I highly recommend over-consuming these drinks in the fall – in moderation of course. Not to mention, you get the spiciness of fall in both of them. 

Nevaeh Wessel, Business Manager: 

Speaking of spicy drinks, my favorite refreshing beverage that is perfect during the fall season is water. I love destroying the health of our earth by cracking open a nice, new, fresh spring water bottle about 5 times a day. Although, it’s not like Downtown Pittsburgh has recycling cans or anything like that.  

After a while, I get so used to the fresh and clean spring water that it puts me in the mood for some delicious unfiltered water straight from a Pittsburgh spigot. This unfiltered water adds the spice I need during the fall season.