(Photo: Dunkin')
It feels as if pumpkin spice season — commemorated by a wave of murky orange beverages, pastries, cocktail recipes and scented candles — creeps up sooner and sooner every year. We're not even halfway through August and Starbucks has already begun rolling out pumpkin spice frappuccinos, creamer and cold brew at grocery stores nationwide. In other, more-bizarre news, 7-Eleven recently unveiled its "first-ever" Pumpkin Spice Slurpee.
Never one to miss out on the trendiest of autumn drinks, Dunkin' has announced a limited-edition Spiked Pumpkin Spice Iced Latte (what a mouthful). Brewed with malt-based alcohol and canned at 6% ABV, the sippers are now available at stores in 27 states.
“As one of our most highly anticipated seasonal offerings, Pumpkin Spice Latte has become a staple amid everyone’s favorite cozy season," Dunkin' Vice President of Retail Business Development Brian Gilbert said in a news release. "Recognizing this, we knew we had an opportunity to create something special with an adult twist on the beloved beverage.”
The Massachusetts-based coffee giant introduced the first iteration of Dunkin' Spiked at the end of last summer.
The drinks were released in two varieties. The 6%-ABV iced coffee comes in Original, Caramel, Mocha and Vanilla flavors, while the 5.0% ABV Iced Tea comes in Slightly Sweet, Half & Half, Strawberry Dragonfruit and Mango Pineapple. All are produced by Boston's Harpoon Brewery, with whom Dunkin' previously collaborated on a line of donut-inspired beers.
We had a chance to try the Dunkin' Spiked lineup at launch and were — to say the least — underwhelmed by its mixed bag of offerings.
The quartet of coffee flavors failed to narrow in a single approach, varying between saccharine sweetness and an off-putting malty bite. The iced tea, on the other hand, held a pair of surprises in its Mango Pineapple and Strawberry Dragonfruit flavors. Neither reinvented the wheel, per se, but offered a welcome change of pace from the usual Twisted Tea fare. You can check out our full review of Dunkin' Spiked here.
With luck, Dunkin' Spiked Pumpkin Spice Iced Latte will land on the tastier side of the spectrum. Four-packs of 12-ounce cans can now be tracked down at retailers via an online product finder.
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