A Drink for All Hallows' Eve

Halloween . . . though I can't say it's one of my favourite holidays, I do love a day to revel in all that is eerie, taboo, and darkly ethereal.  However, after the costumes - scented of candle wax and burnt pumpkin - are hung in the closet, my doorbell is quiet and there are but a few lonely pieces of candy left at the bottom of the bowl; after my children are tucked safely in their beds, sinking sleepily into mysterious dreams, and the ghosts and ghouls which haunted our evening begin to retreat to the darkest corners of our house - this is when I love to light some candles, curl up on the couch under a warm blanket, and descend into the macabre stories of Edgar Allan Poe.  May I recommend The Murders in the Rue Morgue, it's one of his most gruesome and chilling murder mysteries. 

To top the night off, I love a steaming mug of this Apple Cider Spiced Tea (with a shot of rum for good measure).  It's the perfect All Hallows' Eve nightcap: warm, festive, and simple enough to carry you through the coming Holiday season.  Wishing you a very spooky Halloween!

All Souls' Night, 1917

by Hortense King Flexner

 

You heap the logs and try to fill

The little room with words and cheer,

But silent feet are on the hill,

Across the window veiled eyes peer.

The hosts of lovers, young in death,

Go seeking down the world to-night,

Remembering faces, warmth and breath-

And they shall seek till it is light.

Then let the white-flaked logs burn low,

Lest those who drift before the storm

See gladness on our hearth and know

There is no flame can make them warm.

Apple Cider Spiced Tea 10 oz plain apple cider 1 tea bag of Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice® tea * a shot of spiced Rum or Calvados, to taste Simply heat the cider with the tea bag and steep 5 minutes. Add the rum and enjoy. Makes one serving. * kitchen note: Bengal Spice® tea is an exotic blend of cinnamon, chicory, carob, vanilla, ginger, cardamom, black pepper, cloves and nutmeg. If it is not available where you live, look for a spicy herbal tea with similar flavours. The chicory root add a certain magical quality which isn't found in traditional spiced cider.