Pumpkin Is Dead. Long Live Holiday Drinks.

Dunkin Donuts

Happy All Saint’s Day! Or as we call it: The day pumpkin spice died and was resurrected as a peppermint mocha. Exhibit A: This Dunkin’ Donuts news that came across our desks this morning, via The Daily Meal:

On the morning of Monday, November 4th, Dunkin’ Donuts will roll out a host of seasonal offerings, including two new releases: Red Velvet Latte and Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate. Returning menu items include the popular Red Velvet Drizzle donut and the Holiday Star Donut.

In related news, it’s 70 degrees in Boston as of this writing. But then again, we’ve been drinking Octoberfests since August, so it’s probably about that time after all.

Dunkin’s new offerings sound both disgustingly rich, and depressingly intriguing, but if we end up there November 4, we’ll probably save ourselves a few dollars (and a few hundred calories) and instead get a free medium iced or hot coffee, thanks to a Dunkin’ promotion pegged to the Red Sox’s World Series win that day. (Offer available only to those with a Dunkin’ Donuts app in select New England locations!)

Even if we don’t partake in the Red Velvet sugar bomb, let’s at least stipulate that we’re excited to see holiday drinks replacing the overabundance of fall seasonal stuff on our coffee shop shelves. Though only time will tell, we predict historians will look back on 2013 as the year we hit peak pumpkin. As The New York Post’s Hailey Eber put it, “Pumpkin has become the flavor equivalent of James Franco — overexposed, ever-present, popping up in places it has no business being and, frankly, not as appealing as it once was. Enough!” We haven’t seen pumpkins on any William Faulkner book jackets yet, but you’ll admit she had a point. So bring on the peppermint! We’ll still just be drinking our regular coffee with cream and sugar. But we’ll appreciate the change in decor nonetheless.