Halloween Spirits
By Tim McNally
Oct 15, 2009 - 12:00 AM
sxc.hu
BOO!!!
The way the whole Halloween thing has turned out is really logical when you think about it.
As children, most of us would find some costume that suited our desires, our situations or our available resources, and we would then go about looking like who-knows-what, asking our neighbors for candy. Nice touch for a pagan holiday, sending your offspring out to beg for sugar.
Yet it was fun and another opportunity to roam the neighborhood, only this time in the dark and with sweeter results.
As we grew up, Halloween parties ensued, complete with friends, at least a few of whom surprised us with their creativity and/or sheer gall to leave the house looking like that.
From there, because we live in a city that simultaneously lives an outrageous lifestyle, loves costuming and loves to party to excess, we put more and more emphasis on this ritual of fun gatherings and free eats –– only now we add drinks. No other holiday on the annual calendar lends itself to such strange concoctions in the beverage department as Halloween.
It seems people don’t mind combining ingredients in drinks that are of inferior quality and, oddly, items you would never consider mixing together in a saner moment, all to achieve a particular physical appearance or just a crazy good name.
And don’t think the manufacturers of those spirits –– or even winemakers –– have not dialed into the entire episode; they are pumping out Halloween party suggestions, of course all built around their usual products but with a seasonal twist.
Halloween has become that annual fall release from the mundane, providing us with a real excuse –– or opportunity –– to establish a level of celebration that has nothing to do with any preceding religious group, much less the celebration of the end of harvest as noted by the ancient Celts. What did they have to do with Star Trek and your well-worn Spock costume?
New Orleans, particularly this year, is going to be Halloween Party Central for America, not that we usually are not.
First of all, Halloween falls on a Saturday, so any excuse not to party because it’s a “school night” is immediately eliminated. Then there’s the Tulane-LSU football game in Baton Rouge, maybe the last time this rivalry will be engaged. It has not been a real football game for many years, and this year should be no exception, but it involves local institutions and just feels right to rally around.
Lastly, we have All Saints’ Day coming up immediately (the very next day), and that’s pretty important in a Catholic community. It’s also the day our town was awarded an NFL franchise: The team took the name of the day and has represented us to the nation’s football-crazed culture … sometimes not so well, but this year matters seem to be different.
OK, let’s proceed with the party, and quit complaining about people acting crazy for no good reason. There are plenty of good reasons, not the least of which is that we can always use the escape from our everyday parties by having special parties.
Back to beverages. Here are a couple of thoughts along those lines. First of all, just because you are dressed as a 6-foot okra, that does not give you the right to take full leave of your senses and drink badly. You have to maintain some standards. If not, the results are not pretty.
You can drink seasonally without sacrificing quality or good sense.
I’ve just enjoyed a white wine from Germany called Superstition. On the label, which is purple and black, is a black cat. Yes, that is what’s known as topical. The wine is a blend of Riesling and pinot blanc.
If you are thinking that is not what is known as a traditional German wine, then head to the top of the class. But the wine has been created for the American palate, and it is fun to drink, not terribly complicated, with good fruit expression and a very clean finish.
It will go with just about any junk food you are going to put into your system at the parties (you will be going to more than one, won’t you?), and its low alcohol level means you won’t be crawling home before 9 p.m. –– unless you start celebrating at 10 a.m.
At less than $10, it’s a good buy. Another advantage: You won’t have to carry around extra hardware in that skimpy costume because Superstition comes in screw-cap.
The creative gang over at Whisky Blue in the W Hotel on Poydras has concocted a recipe that calls for three types of rum, which should pretty much set a good tone for the evening. You can stop by there or follow the recipe for your own sugar-laden creation.
Witches’ Brew Recipe
2 1/4 ounce Bacardi Light
2 1/4 ounce Myers’s Rum
1 1/4 ounce Bacardi 151
2 1/2 ounce pineapple juice
2 1/2 ounce orange juice
1 1/4 ounce sour mix
1 1/4 ounce grenadine
Sour or regular gummy worms and silly straws for garnish
Fill glass completely with ice, and add all ingredients. Use your bar spoons to stir the drink until all ingredients are combined. It should be a pinkish- red color. Throw in a handful of gummy worms and the appropriate amount of silly straws needed.
Something a bit simpler but with just as intriguing a name makes use of a product called New Age. How can you go wrong there? It’s a rosé wine made from equal parts of Malbec and merlot, and it’s pretty tasty on its own. Still, maybe you would prefer to use it as the main ingredient in the:
New Age Rosé Blood Orange Sangria
6 ounces New Age Rosé
1 teaspoon simple syrup (2:1 parts sugar and water)
2 ounces fresh orange juice
Lime slice for garnish
Pour New Age Rosé into tall 14-ounce glass with ice. Add simple syrup, and then pour orange juice down the center. Squeeze fresh lime slice.
Do not shake!
OK, now get out there have a good time. Be careful, and remember to have a designated driver or the telephone number for a cab company. Or invite the gang over to your place; then all you have to worry about is navigating your way from the party area to your bedroom. And there are nights when that can be incredibly difficult.
Happy Halloween!!!
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Tim learned to appreciate wine from his wife-to-be, Brenda Maitland, and it has been a fascinating 35-year journey for the couple. Tim graduated from Jesuit College Prep in Dallas, then earned a journalism degree from the University of North Texas. He came to Louisiana because of his love of New Orleans, then fell in love with Brenda and simultaneously fell in love with all things wine. 
Reader Comments:
Great blog. Can't wait to try the Witch's Brew. Thanks for the Superstition write up.