5 Drinks on the Dunkin’ menu that we can’t resist

Join us, dear readers as we take a look at only five of the drinks at Dunkin’ Donuts that are oh-so-hard to resist. (Or just Dunkin’ minus the Donuts depending on where you are.)

You’d be surprised at what lengths yours truly goes to, just to get my Dunkin’ experience. But more on that later.

Here are five drinks on the good old Dunkin’ menu we just can’t say no to…and, a little bit of useful information should you be planning a trip to Québec, Canada

Who said a donut shop should serve only donuts on the menu? Dunkin’ sure doesn’t have that philosophy, as Tim Horton’s doesn’t either. Trust me, readers, I know. Being from Montréal, Québec, Canada, there’s a Tim Horton’s on the corner of every street—quite literally—but sadly no Dunkin’, believe it or not.

When I was growing up in Montréal East, there were no Tim Horton’s shops; only Dunkin’ Donuts. They weren’t as prevalent as Tim’s eventually became, but they were comfortably close to where I lived.

Prior to 2018—specifically throughout the nineties—there were a whopping 200 locations in Québec alone.

So what happened in 2018, you ask? Well, the sad state of affairs is that the locations were pulled. That means that no Dunkin’ Donuts remain in the whole province (Canada’s equivalent of a state).

Now talk about a tragedy.

But miss it I do, and if I’m being honest, the thing I miss most are the drinks, which is what I primarily went in there for, time and time again, whether to work on a set list with the only other member of my band that never came to fruition, my best friend, Nello, or to simply find a place to do some homework.

I’d like to state why I’m still an authority on Dunkin’, despite it being so many years since it left the city and province where I reside: Because I don’t mind driving the hour and ten minutes (101.4 km) to Plattsburgh, New York, to get a taste of something that has been gone for almost four long years, that’s why.

Now talk about not being able to say goodbye. I’ve always had a hard time letting go. I still listen to audio cassettes, if that gives you any inkling as to just how strongly I hold on to things.

Of course, when I’m in the beautiful United States on business, promoting my writing or whatever—specifically New York or Philadelphia, it’ll be a Dunkin’ cup of coffee you’ll see me carrying from place to place, but I digress.

Let’s get to the nitty-gritty, shall we?

5. Coffee

If I could  have coffee stuck into me intravenously, I’d most certainly be game, but since I can’t, when I’m out on the road, I need to know exactly where I can get my fix. If I don’t have a cup every few hours, I start to forget my name and where I live.

At the end of the day, Dunkin’ sure makes it best, so I just had to put it on the list. And yeah…way better than Tim Horton’s. Aha! Now it’s gotta be true if a Canadian is saying it, right?

4. Coconut Iced Coffee

Now you’ve definitely gotta have an iced option, and although the aforementioned Tim Horton’s makes a mean Iced Cappuccino, Dunkin’ has them beat once again, and in this drink, they’ve added the wonderful extra ingredient that takes it over the edge: the coconut.

Now coconut isn’t for everybody, but maybe these individuals haven’t had coconut with coffee, of all things.

3. Iced Matcha latte

Okay, okay…it’s green. But once you get over the fact that it looks like something out of some alien nightmare film, you’d be surprised at how great it is.

Refreshing, yes; healthy too, and the taste is explosive. After all you are mixing sweetened matcha green tea (a fine green powder made from green tea leaves, as per Wikipedia) with your choice of milk: skim or whole.

2. The Strawberry Coolatta

What an amazing name. Refreshing, tasty, sweet and sustaining…and that’s all before you even bring the straw to your lips!

The actual taste is a whole other story. If you’ve never tried one, I ask: What rock have you been hiding under, friend?

Try one today, and you’ll see just how much better it is than your average variety slushy.

1. Iced Tea

I can remember taking a trip to Philadelphia during a particularly warm October. I had gone to the gorgeous city for a Rocky tour, where you visited the filming locations where Rocky, staring Sylvester Stallone, was filmed.

The only thing was, I hadn’t gone the organized trip route, and instead I mapped out my own trip. Call it Jack Kerouac’s On The Road meets Hollywood.

So there I was, all alone, my map handy, and I started off on the longest hike of my life (and I love to hike). My hotel was near the Philadelphia Museum of Art and I set off for Kensington…on foot!

Needless to say, I barely made it two hours before I almost passed out. But lo and behold, there in the distance, was it a mirage? No…it was a Dunkin’ Donuts to save the day (and my bacon). I walked in and ordered “anything cold,” in a voice I barely recognized as my own.

It was then that the kind young lady behind the counter smiled and brought me an iced tea shortly afterward. I always got the impression she had wanted to say: “It’s going to be alright, mister,” but she kept quiet.

It was the very first time I had a Dunkin’ Iced tea, and like I said I grew up with the chain in my hood, but it certainly wouldn’t be the last. It was like water to someone who had traveled the Sahara, and in a sense, I guess I had.