DOTD For Friday, October 31, 2025

For Halloween, It's A Spooky Drink, Of Course!

Today’s DOTD - Drink Of The Day - is The Widow’s Kiss cocktail, inspired by Halloween, of course!!!

About two thousand years ago the Celtic people who were occupying most of the UK and some of northern Europe believed there were two parts to the year: a light half and a dark half. Their celebration of the change in years - in effect, Celtic New Year’s Eve - was an annual pagan festival known as Samhain, observed from October 31 to November 1.

For the Celts, Samhain was a special time. They believed the transition from light to dark seasons was when the worlds occupied by the living and the dead were barely separated. Only at that point in the year could spirits come visit the living. Visits by the spirits of deceased loved ones seeking food and comfort were welcomed. The Celts also celebrated with all kinds of fun, lighting huge bonfires, feasting, and sacrificing animals. We only endorse the feasting.

The downside of this transition time was that witches, evil spirits, fairies and other supernatural beings could also show up to sow mischief. The obvious solution? People disguised themselves as spirits to fool the evil beings. Wearing animal skins, and blackening one’s face with ash from the bonfires were two of many ways they costumed themselves. Historical details are scarce, but people sometimes also carried treats in their pockets as bribes if they were ambushed by something spooky. Some even had jack-o-lanterns in the form of hollowed out turnips or beets, lit by candles, to scare away the nasties.

When the Catholic church came to the UK and northern Europe, they tried to push Celtic paganism underground, in part by taking over its holidays and rebranding them. The first day of Samhain, especially the evening, became “All Hallows’ Eve” - and later Halloween - while November 1 turned into All Hallows’ Day (aka All Saint’s Day). The bonfires, costumes, and other assorted merriment that were a hallmark of Samhain became part of Halloween, with some of the actions - like dressing as monsters to scare away evil spirits - literally serving the same purpose.

Today, Halloween rituals have been modernized. Now, every empty retail location is turned into a Spirit Halloween store, as kids run door to door in search of candy. For the adults, the costumes have changed a bit, as naughty nurse costumes are donned, and worn to attract, not repel. Pumpkin farmers host haunted houses, as they sell out their crops, and candy companies make serious money.

Of course, there are all kinds of adult parties and celebrations, some with drinks - like here at The Politics Bar where our DOTD is a Widow’s Kiss cocktail!

Ingredients

Here’s what you’re going to need for this drink: