DOTD For Friday, December 26, 2025
We're Giving You An Overall Double Today - Celebration, That Is
Today’s DOTD - Drink Of The Day - is The Overall Julep inspired by TWO holidays, Kwanzaa and Boxing Day.
Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration, that starts on December 26. It was created in the 1966 aftermath of the Watts riots by academic Maulana Karenga, with the goal to “give Blacks an alternative to the existing holiday and give Blacks an opportunity to celebrate themselves and their history, rather than simply imitate the practice of the dominant society.” The name “Kwanzaa” comes from the Swahili term matunda ya kwanza, which translates to “first fruit”, reflecting harvest festivals practiced in Southern Africa to celebrate the abundance of food in a successful harvest.
During the week of Kwanzaa, families and communities come together to share a feast each evening, to honor their ancestors, affirm the bonds between them, and to celebrate African and African American culture. Each night they light a candle on the kinara to highlight the principle of that day and to breathe meaning into the principles with various activities, such as reciting the sayings or writings of great black thinkers and writers, and reciting original poetry.
The seven principles of Kwanzaa are Umoja (unity), Kujichagulia (self-determination), Ujima (collective work & collective responsibility), Ujamaa (cooperative economics), Nia (purpose), Kuumba (creativity), and Imani (faith). The candles on the kinara are lit in this order: On day one, the black candle—also known as the unity candle—is lit. On the second day, the red candle on the immediate right of the unity candle is lit. On day three, the green candle on the immediate left side of the unity candle is lit, and then the candles continue to alternate until you reach day seven. While Kwanzaa is a week-long celebration with daily activities, the main communal event and large feast, called the Karamu Ya Imani (Feast of Faith), traditionally takes place on December 31st, the sixth day. The final day of Kwanzaa, January 1st, is dedicated to quiet reflection and recommitment to the seven principles (Nguzo Saba).
Today is also Boxing Day, a holiday traditionally celebrated in Great Britain and some Commonwealth countries, particularly Australia, Canada, and New Zealand. The holiday is traditionally celebrated on December 26, and is a day on which servants, tradespeople, and the poor traditionally were presented with gifts, by their bosses, neighbors, & friends. By the 21st century, the holiday has also become associated with shopping and sporting events.
Explanations for the origin of the name have changed over the centuries. One explanation cites the opening of alms boxes - donation boxes - that had been placed in churches for the collection of donations to aid the poor. The boxes were opened the day after Christmas, and the contents distributed to the poor & needy.
More commonly, the origin of the holiday is credited to the boxes of gifts given to employees by their employers on the day after Christmas. Centuries ago, ordinary members of the merchant class gave boxes of food and fruit to tradespeople and servants the day after Christmas in an ancient form of Yuletide tip. These gifts were an expression of gratitude to those who worked for them, in much the same way that you might tip your favorite food delivery person, or your favorite server at your local cafe an extra $20 at Christmastime, or even slip your apartment building’s superintendent a bottle of whisky. Those long-ago gifts were done up in boxes, hence the day coming to be known as “Boxing Day.” The practice of giving bonuses to service employees has continued, although it is now often done before rather than after Christmas Day.
When December 26 comes on a Saturday or Sunday, the following Monday is designated as the official public holiday. December 26 is also the feast day of St. Stephen (St. Stephen’s Day), the patron saint of horses, and Boxing Day has come to be a day of sporting events, including horse races, foxhunting, and rugby. Traditional foxhunting was modified in 2005 after the enactment of legislation in England and Wales that largely banned the use of hounds in hunts.
Since Boxing Day is about giving, and Kwanzaa is about families & communities coming together to celebrate their history, we can’t think of a more perfect drink to honor today than The Overall Julep. It’s a drink created by Tom Bullock, the first African American cocktail book author, and is one of Bullock’s original recipes. It also makes an excellent Drink Of The Day for both Kwanzaa & Boxing Day. Enjoy!
Ingredients
Here’s what you’re going to need for this drink:
