Boozy Pumpkin Chai Latte |Cooking With Amanda

Pumpkin season is in full swing, and while I admit I am not a fan of the ever popular Pumpkin Spice latte, I am a fan of chai lattes. I figured why not jump on the pumpkin everything bandwagon and make this into a pumpkin version and add booze because, yum.

I first discovered chai lattes at a coffee shop where I grew up in Santa Barbara. I love coffee and tea and it was around the holidays where a local shop had a chai tea latte on special. It smelled so good! My college roommate wasn't a coffee drinker at all, so she would either order a vanilla steamed milk or a chai tea latte.

I tried a sip of her chai tea latte that that day I passed on my usual vanilla latte for the chai latte. I still drink coffee a lot more than tea, but once the weather starts getting cooler my afternoon warm me up is almost always the chai latte.

I was in Whole Foods one day and saw a carton of Pumpkin Chai Latte concentrate and wanted to try it. It was good - but a bit strong on its own. I added a splash of it into my regular chai tea and added a splash of bourbon and I knew I was on to something yummy.

I tried a few different ways of making this drink and the recipe I came up with is my absolute favorite. The booze is optional, but does add in that extra warm-up factor to it, plus the whipped cream is a must. I love boozy whipped cream on hot winter drinks but again that too is optional if you aren't into adding alcohol into your drinks.

This is meant to be a boozy drink, but it's not over the top. Just the little bit really does make the drink. Make up a batch, share with friends while sitting around a fire to warm up from the outside as well as inside. Also makes for a great après ski drink. A great way to warm up after a day of playing in the snow. Boozy pumpkin chai lattes - your new holiday warm up.

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Boozy Pumpkin Chai Latte Recipe

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Ingredients

For the Whipped Cream:

1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
2 teaspoons bourbon

For the Lattes:

1 1/2 cups water
3 spiced chai tea bags
1/2 cup sweetened chai concentrate, like oregon chai or tazo
1 teaspoon honey
1 15 ounce can coconut milk
1/2 cup pumpkin puree, not seasoned pie filling
2-4 tablespoons bourbon
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1/8 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
star anise and cinnamon sticks, for garnish

Directions

To Make the Whipped Cream:

Whip the heavy cream to stiff peaks and add in the maple syrup and bourbon and whip again.
Taste and add more maple syrup if desired.
Chill until ready to use.

To Make the Lattes:

Bring the water to a boil in a small sauce pan. Add the tea bags and let steep 5 minutes.
Remove the tea bags and add the chai concentrate, honey, coconut milk, pumpkin puree, and vanilla to the sauce pan. Bring the mixture up until it just reaches a simmer, whisking as you go.
Taste for sweetness level, adding more honey if needed.
Strain mixture through a fine mesh sieve into a pitcher or bowl, stir in the bourbon.
Divide the lattes into Irish coffee cups or large mugs, top with maple sweetened whipped cream and sprinkle with cinnamon and nutmeg and garnish with whole star anise and cinnamon sticks if desired. Serve immediately.

Notes

The sweetened chai concentrate is optional. I found the drink to be on the weaker side just using tea bags, and very bitter if using more tea bags and or steeping longer. The combination of the chai tea bags and the concentrate is the best combination that I tested. Plus it adds a little bit more pumpkin flavor to the drink.