PSA on the PSL
If you haven’t noticed, we’re pretty into feelings at Sparrows. Our first tastes of September in Michigan have reminded us of the nostalgia that accompanies any season’s end -- but maybe none more so than summer’s fade into fall. We look back on days at the lake and dinners on the porch, and envision the coming months through the lens of autumns past. Looking backward to look forward.
Flavors serve as distincts points of reference as we look to the past and future. With our new fall drink menus at both of our cafes, familiar flavors present themselves just differently enough, maybe similar to the growth we look for in ourselves from one year to the next.
Nostalgic self-reflection aside (if 2021 will ever allow for that), we’re really excited about our new Fall drinks, and can’t wait for you to try them. Our Wealthy Street Cafe recently began serving 3 new fun seasonal specials: One Of Your French Lattes, with house made rose petal syrup, espresso, and milk; Aunt Boo Boo’s Cookies, with spiced chai, sweetened cold brew concentrate, and milk; the Real O.C., house made orange cardamom syrup with espresso and milk; and Brown sugar boba tea, with an oat milk cold foam. All will be available throughout the Fall.
New Fall drinks will be available at our Creston location on September 16. Here’s a sneak peak of the menu to come:
SPARROWS CRESTON FALL DRINK MENU
Cold Foam PSL (Pumpkin Spice Latte)
Have PSLs been meme’d to the point of being cool again? Were they ever really not cool? Does anyone actually need a 32oz latte? These are all questions prompted thanks to Starbucks and their now ubiquitous fall staple. Ours doubles down on just about all elements...besides the size. We shake cold brew, chai concentrate, and a brown sugar cinnamon syrup with ice, and top it with a fluffy, orange pumpkin cold foam flavored with pumpkin puree, molasses, and pumpkin pie spices. Just like the pie, right?
Apple Tonic
An ode to the brilliant combination of chai tea and apple cider, our apple tonic pairs local cider with a warmly spiced herbal tonic from Spirit Tea. Spirit’s Saigon herbal tonic is a blend of sweet saigon cinnamon, herbal lemongrass, and mildly spicy sichuan peppercorns. Available hot or iced, it’s here to warm you up and chill you out.
Maple Golden Chai
In the summer, we offered a refreshing turmeric chai latte sweetened with a house made cardamom syrup, shaken and served over ice. As brisk days approach, we’re busting out the steam wand to serve it hot as well, and replacing the cardamom with maple.
Cranberry Spritz
Ghia is an exciting new non-alcoholic aperitif, made with a wide variety of floral botanicals, savory herbs, sweet fruit, and bitter citrus. It falls somewhere in between a bitter liqueur like Campari and a sweet herbal vermouth -- but without the booze. Inspired by “Mediterranean spritz culture”, we felt inspired to use it to make a Midwestern spritz of our own. We shake Ghia with cranberry, apple, and grape juices, and top it with a hearty splash of bubbles.
Dirtier Harry
We opened our Creston cafe this Summer paying homage to our preceding Wealthy Street cafe’s beloved drink menu. One such loved drink is the Dirty Hairy -- Earl Grey steeped into hot and steamy soy milk, sweetened with honey. At Creston, the Dirtier Harry pairs cold brew, Earl Grey, oatmilk, and vanilla syrup together. Some people called it Fruity Pebbles milk. Others said it tasted like a Tootsie Roll. Most people who tried it liked it a lot, so we’re leaving it on the menu, and now serving it hot.
