Highroad has a new seasonal drinks menu. Photo: Michelle Taylor.
Seventeen years in Canberra have transformed me into a coffee snob. I know exactly what I like: deep, caramelly notes in the roasted bean, mixed with smooth hot milk and topped with creamy foam. No more dumping three teaspoons into my mug — Canberra coffee is perfect, unadorned.
But then there are the flavoured caffeinated beverages that somehow still draw me in. I class them as an entirely different beast from classic coffee.
And I LOVE them. All my social media apps know this, flooding my feed with girls with pretty nails shaking up iced coffees made from all sorts of incredible syrups and cold foams. I cannot get enough of it!
So when a colleague sent me a photo of the new seasonal drinks menu at Highroad, where she and her daughter had just enjoyed morning tea, I took one look and knew I had to get there ASAP.
Take a look for yourself!
Highroad’s seasonal drink specials menu. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Barista and Highroad’s digital marketing manager, Bianca Pavlic, is the curator of the menu — though she says the chefs and other staff played a huge role in bringing her ideas to life through experimentation and lots of tastings in the kitchen.
“We have a full-time pastry chef, so he’s able to help. There has been lots of collaboration between front and back of house.
“It was a lot of trial and error. The pumpkin spice latte is fun. I haven’t really seen anything like it in Canberra. Our original trial didn’t have espresso in it, but when we added a shot, it was perfect. To get the pumpkin flavour, we worked with the kitchen — roasting up pumpkin, making our own spice mix, and sweetening it with maple syrup.”
Some of the seasonal drinks on offer at Highroad. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
Bianca describes the chai cuddle cup as a fusion between hot chocolate and chai.
“We make a house-made vanilla chocolate syrup and then brew it with the real honey chai — the Canberra-based Real Chai.”
As for the orange-white chocolate latte, Bianca originally wanted it to taste just like orange-white chocolate, with no coffee at all.
“But once again, when we added espresso, it enhanced the flavours. Everyone agreed we had to serve it with espresso. That’s the fun of it — flavours you wouldn’t expect to work together somehow just do, after some trial and tasting.”
Even the cold drinks carry those comforting winter vibes. Bianca describes the trendy Biscoff iced latte as “cosy like a hug” — an iced latte topped with Biscoff cold foam. You’re meant to drink it without a straw, sipping from the top so the flavours swirl together.
Then there’s the vanilla cinnamon iced matcha, topped with a vanilla cinnamon cold foam. Earthy matcha forms the base, while the sweetness of the foam adds balance.
The tiramisu iced mocha is incredibly pretty — and popular. With mascarpone and little sponge fingers added on top, it’s transformed from a basic iced mocha into a full dessert moment – tiramisu in a cup!
We already know what we want to try this time. The iced matcha, and of course, the pumpkin spice latte.
The pumpkin spice latte comes out pretty as a picture; miniature buttery shortbreads dot the saucer, and sweet pumpkin crisps top the froth on top.
Highroad’s pumpkin spice latte. Photo: Kazuri Photography.
I tip the mug to my lips and let the whiff of cinnamon-scented cream and pumpkin spice envelop my senses. No artificial flavouring here — and the drink isn’t overly sweet. The roasted pumpkin and maple deepen the flavour, and the espresso rounds it all out beautifully. It’s a warm, cheery hug of a winter drink.
Next, we try the vanilla cinnamon iced matcha — sipping chilled matcha through lush, cinnamon-vanilla cold foam. The velvety hit of earthy matcha is the perfect foil for the sweet, spiced topping.
What drink would you try?
The Highroad is located on the corner of Cape and Woolley Streets in Dickson. It is open seven days a week from 7 am to 3:30 pm and reopens for dinner Thursday to Saturday from 5 pm to 9:30 pm. Keep up to date with what is new at the Highroad by following it on Facebook or Instagram.
