Seasonal Inspiration – Teach.Explore.Repeat.

It’s almost basic season, y’all…

And that means it’s time to have a real conversation about the drinks that dominate this time of year.

Ciders, lattes, cinnamon sugar rims…oh my!

Fall flavors, in my humble opinion, are better than any offered up by the other seasons (Christmastime’s peppermint mocha and springtime’s honey lavender put up compelling- but still inadequate- fights), and the comfort that they bring just as sweater weather starts to pick up is unparalleled.

But which of these autumnal ambassadors is the ultimate in bringing fall flavor to your taste buds?

Let’s find out! I present to you…

The Battle of the Basics!

First up: Pumpkin Spice Latte

*Celebrating this year’s first PSL of the season two weeks ago*

PSL…the abbreviation just screams “BASIC” as far as the ear can hear, and if this is what being basic is all about, then I don’t want to be complicated.

Believe it or not, there’s more to the pumpkin story than many expect. According to Food & Wine Magazine, this scintillating spice blend is over 225 years old- there’s mention of the spices in a pumpkin pie recipe from 1798! However, it wasn’t until the 1930s that companies like McCormick began pre-packaging them together as “pumpkin pie spices”, and a mere 70-ish years later, in 2003, Starbucks debuted the “PSL”.

A star was born.

Next in line: Pumpkin Beer

*My first pumpkin beer of 2023 at Bay Shore’s Great South Bay Brewery*

The bane of brewers and bartenders near and far (have you ever had to work with that honey cinnamon sugar rim? Sticky nightmare!), the arrival of this basic beer on taps is a sure sign that sweater weather is just around the corner. Pumpkin beer tasting has become a hobby, with enthusiasts trying to grab sips from as many breweries as possible before the final keg is tapped and replaced by the winter ales. Each year, it seems the pumpkin beer creep happens earlier and earlier- this year, some Long Island breweries had theirs on as early as the last week of July!

But this pumpkin lovin’ beertender isn’t complaining- I gobble these babies up like it’s my job.

Oh, and yes. If you’re offering, I will absolutely take the cinnamon sugar rim.

Last, but certainly never least…Apple Cider

Gallon sized and chilled. Frozen slushy. Warm and toasty. Hard.

*Jericho Cider Mill: Home to my fave cider donuts on the island and amazing cider slushies!*

Of the three drinks featured on the Battle of the Basics, apple cider is without a doubt the most versatile. As long as you’re a fan of the taste, there’s a type of cider available for any occasion or time of day.

Slightly sweet and slightly tangy, with just the right blend of spices to get your autumn fuzzy feel on, having a taste of cider- no matter the style- is essentially a rite of passage for the season. Pair cider tasting with a day of apple picking, and you’ve got yourself a basic outing for the ages!

*Get your hard cider fix on at the Riverhead Ciderhouse, one of Long Island’s North Fork cideries*

So, tell me in the comments or on today’s Instagram post: which of these basics is your fave? Who will be the ultimate winner of the 2023 Battle of the Basics?!

As for me, I’ll be enjoying ALL of these drinks, basking in the simpleton pleasures that make this season so magical. Long Islanders: got any good recs for places to go? Let me know!

Stay tuned in a couple of days for my next post, about an exciting fall project I’m taking on!

‘til next time,

Lau

I heard the name “the -BER months” for the first time this year. It was February or March, and I was in my traditional winter slump, made even worse by a particularly stressful school year that seemed to have no end in sight.

To try getting over the winter blahs, I found some Christmas podcasts to listen to in the hopes that they’d bring me some joy. Altogether I binged five or six, and not only did they help a little bit to lift my spirits, but they also introduced me to this idea of the “-BER Months”.

It’s so simple once you learn it: September, October, November, December…the -BER months!

And just like that, there was a name for my favorite time of year!

It seems like as a teacher, my favorite time of year should unequivocally be summer. And don’t get me wrong- I look forward to the end of June with the same fervor I look forward to my Monday night pizza dinner tradition (I CRAVE IT!).

But there’s still something about September through December that really has my heart.

As a grade school student, I loved summer, but I also always looked forward to the first day of school. Beginning in mid-August, I would lay out my new supplies and clothes and survey the spread, planning outfits and thinking about which Cuddly Cuties or Lisa Frank folder would be paired with each Mead 5-Star notebook. I couldn’t wait to see friends I hadn’t seen since June, and get back into the clubs and activities I loved.

*All smiles at the bus stop for the first day of first grade, 1994. Apparently I hadn’t yet learned how to handle cats…*

Once the new school year excitement began dwindling, the magic of the -BER months would pick up: the fall breeze gradually replacing the summer wind, Halloween and harvest decorations coming out, the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade and the ensuing feast of bounty, and of course, the piece de resistance…the Christmas season!

As an educator, the start of a new school year is now, for me, the most anxiety-producing part of the -BER months (and really, of the whole calendar year). However, my excitement for fall and those first few whimsical days of winter leading up to Christmas Day has just gotten stronger. No matter how stressed I get at work, I refuse to let it dampen the magic of the -BER months.

Now, if we could just get this damn humidity out of the air and bring on the September sunshine and early fall breeze, I would be eternally grateful!

*Anyone else ready for fall sweaters and crunchy leaves?*
🗺*Blydenburgh County Park, Smithtown*

What’s your favorite time of year? Let me know in the comments, or on today’s Insta post, up later this afternoon (@teach.explore.repeat)! Stay tuned for the next blog post, all about fall beverages, coming soon!

‘til next time,

Lau

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