The inventor of the Pumpkin Spice Latte speaks out on the iconic drink’s ‘basic’ reputation

  • When Peter Dukes helped invent the Pumpkin Spice Latte in 2003, he had no idea that the drink would become an icon — and a symbol of what it means to be “basic.”
  • Today, Dukes said he doesn’t think too much about the Pumpkin Spice Latte’s reputation. But, if people having fun with the drink means it is basic, “so be it,” he said.