DIY Holiday Spice Flat White

You know how once you find your favorite lipstick or mascara they discontinue it? Every. Single. Time. It disproportionally affects the world of makeup in my experience (why always makeup?) but every once in awhile you'll have the ONE thing you love at a national chain. The thing you look forward to when they bust out their stupid fake controversial holiday cups and their marketing that is so charming you don't WANT to go and support them but you also just can't help but love it? You know that thing. The Holiday Spice Flat White. Now retired.

When you hear the rumor, you seek answers. You hope it's all a rumor. You get mad at yourself for even HOPING it's a rumor about a freaking Holiday beverage. This is not a crisis. Then you hear from so and so who say they killed it and then from another that it's still happening just not until December-- and then you see the replacement. Your heart sinks a little because yeah, maybe you were a little more invested in the drink than you wanted to admit and because you're pretty certain that the new drink might taste like gin (jury is still out), and is probably another ultra-saccharine offering in the lineup that has who knows what kind of sweeteners and preservatives locked inside that "pine syrup." So. You investigate. You google. You test. You come up with something to satisfy you for the rest of the month. My own at-home Holiday Spice Flat White.

The trick to this beverage is the syrup. Making your own coffee flavoring is super easy, just gotta figure out what flavors you want. After some careful googling I discovered the main flavors in the HSFW were ginger, cloves, and cinnamon-- with sugar and tangerine zest. These are put in the bottom of a cup and a double ristretto shot is pulled and the hot espresso dissolves the sugar and blooms the spices. Add some hot milk and voila! A coffee-forward, slightly sweet, pleasantly spiced beverage. Except...not quite.

I tried this at home. I combined zest and sugar, added some spices and in went the nespresso pods (this is an at-home version...). I steamed the milk and upon first sip it was great! Until I got to the bottom. At the bottom of the cup was a little puddle of debris unsuitable for drinking. I had vague memories of a similar sludge at the bottom of the Starbucks version and so decided to turn it all into a syrup.

The syrup solved a few issues. First, it negated the sludge which in my opinion was a huge win. Secondly, it really opened up the possibilities with the syrup. As I humblebragged above I own an entry level Nespresso and while we do love it, we don't use it every day. We are definitely a weekday drip coffee fam. We save espresso drinks for afternoon pick me ups or weekend mornings. By turning this into a syrup and not a "measurement" of sugar and spices in the bottom of the cup before brewing, we have now turned our Holiday Spice syrup into something that can be added to a cup of drip coffee after pouring OR espresso before pulling. You could also mix this up with half and half and go CRAZY with your own homemade coffee creamer.

The syrup is pleasantly orange scented-- like background scented not overpowering at all-- and spicy enough that all I need in a cup of coffee is about a teaspoon or two. Plus, this recipe makes 8 ounces and guess what that is 48 teaspoons! 48 cups of coffee! I would say someone sign me up-- but I made it and signed myself up!

Holiday Spice Coffee Syrup

Ingredients

1 C sugar

3/4 C water

1-2 tsp tangerine zest (depending on how much you love orange. A little goes a long way. I usually do a heaping tsp)

1 Tbsp Ground Ginger

1 Tbsp Ground Cloves

1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon

Method

In a small saucepan, add all ingredients and stir to combine. Continue cooking over medium heat until dissolved. While mixture is warming through, put a fine mesh strainer over a small bowl and line with a coffee filter. After spices have dissolved and your house is smelling like a winter wonderland, pour through coffee filter and let sit until all liquid has passed through (this might require some patience, but it gets rid of the sludge!).

Once liquid/syrup has passed through filter, allow to cool to room temperature and add to small jar or bottle. Syrup will keep for up to 4 weeks in the fridge.

To Make a "Flat White"

Full Disclosure: I am not a barista nor do I claim to be, and if you are, you will be appalled at my Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade version of this but it's the holidays so just let it slide.

Starbucks pulls a "ristretto" shot of espresso for their flat whites and that is part of the reason I was so fond of it, was because you could really taste the coffee and not just the sugar (I'm lookin at you Gingerbread Latte...). A Ristretto is the same amount of coffee for a regular espresso shot but with about half the water. So it's strong. Bold! Perfect for those dark dark December mornings. For those with a Nespresso machine (#humblebrag) many brands make a "ristretto" blend which is a stronger bolder capsule. I have Nespresso brand and also Peet's and they make a delightful cup.

So all that being said. Ready your holiday mug-of-choice and add 1 tsp of syrup to the bottom. Pull two espresso shots into the cup. While those are cookin' add 8-10 oz (depending on your preference) of milk into a pitcher and steam your milk until it is thick and velvety. Using your deft skills, make yourself some coffee-art. Sprinkle with cinnamon if desired. Instagram away!