EDGEWATER — Come fall, not all is pumpkin spice and everything nice. In fact, at Metropolis Coffee Company in Edgewater, things are getting quite dark.
The cafe at 1039 W. Granville Ave. is skipping the orange and going straight to the black with a new house-made drink: the PSL, or Persephone Spice Latte, inspired by the Greek myth of Persephone.
In the ancient tale, Persephone, a figure symbolizing vegetation, is abducted into the underworld while picking flowers one day by Hades, the king and god of the underworld. There, she is forced to be his bride.
When Persephone's mother discovers she's missing, she becomes so sad that everything on Earth stops growing.
Eventually, her mother finds her and demands Persephone be brought home. Her captor agrees, but first tricks her into eating pomegranate seeds — an act that means Persephone must return to the underworld for part of the year every year. Her absence comes to represent winter on Earth.
In her legacy, Persephone becomes known as Queen of the Underworld, and there's no more proper time than October, a month dedicated to remembering the dead, to pay respect with a pomegranate concoction right here on Earth.
The drink contains homemade five-spice ginger syrup, Red Line espresso, milk of one's choosing and a vegan coconut cream whipped cream colored by activated charcoal and pomegranate molasses.
The PSL is only here until the end of November, but be warned: You could end up trapped in the underworld.
