Sipping Through September: Fall Recipes

By Anya Patri and Nitya Sharma

Believe it or not, fall is upon us, despite the 90+ degree weather and wildfires raging across the state. Although it may not seem like too cheery of a season, you can still get in the autumn spirit by cozying up, or cooling down, with a classic fall drink. In this piece, we showcase two different fall recipes we made; a cold drink for those warm autumn days and a hot drink for when it finally gets chilly.  

Recipe 1: Chilled Apple Cider 

One of the most popular fall drinks is apple cider, a staple element of autumn. While waiting for the temperature to drop, you can relax outside with homemade apple cider like the perfect fall grandma we all secretly want to be. It doesn’t take a lot of effort and can be made in just four easy steps!

Ingredients: 

* 5 apples (quartered) 

*½ teaspoon cloves 

*½ teaspoon whole allspice 

*¼ cup brown sugar

*½ nutmeg 

*¼ orange, cut up

*2 cinnamon sticks 

Step 1: 

In a large pot, add the apples, oranges, nutmeg, cinnamon sticks, and brown sugar. Then add water until it covers the ingredients by 2 inches. Boil it, then reduce the heat and let it simmer with a lid on for about an hour. 

Step 2: 

Remove the oranges, then mash together the apples with a ladle or a potato masher. Let it simmer for about 30 minutes without the lid on. 

Step 3: 

Strain the water with a mesh strainer and discard the mashed apples. Refrigerate for later enjoyment, or if you want it warm, you can just serve it now. 

Step 4: 

Pour into a glass and if you wish to, add ice. Drink and enjoy! 

Recipe 2: Pumpkin Hot Chocolate

There is nothing that says fall more than pumpkin, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin soup, you name it. If it is obnoxiously orange-colored it must be made. So naturally, a pumpkin-flavored concoction topped our list for drinks to try. Contrary to popular belief, we think that the infamous pumpkin spice latte is rancid, so instead, we went for a more palatable option; pumpkin hot chocolate. This recipe is simple, requiring few ingredients and only taking a couple of minutes to make. 

Ingredients: 

* ½ cup milk

* ⅓ cup heavy whipping cream

* ¼ cup milk ch

* chocolate chips

* 1 teaspoon cocoa powder

* 1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin puree

* ¼ teaspoon pumpkin pie spice

* ¼ cup whipped cream

* 1 pinch ground cinnamon

Step 1:

Combine the milk, whipping cream, chocolate chips, and cocoa powder in a pot on medium heat.

Step 2: 

Whisk the ingredients in the pot until the chocolate chips have melted (make sure to continuously whisk so the chocolate chips don’t burn!).

Step 3:

Pour in the pumpkin purée and pumpkin spice and whisk until fully incorporated. 

Step 4: 

Pour your drink into a mug, finish it up with your favorite toppings, and enjoy!