Iowa Fall 21-Winter 22 - 26

Mother's Ruin Punch
2 ½ cups sparkling wine
1 ½ cups gin
1 ½ cups grapefruit juice
¾ cup sweet vermouth
¾ cup lemon juice
¾ cup club soda or seltzer
½ cup sugar
4-5 grapefruit wheels
ice
 Add club soda and
sugar to a large pitcher
and stir until sugar is
dissolved. Add remaining
liquid ingredients and stir
vigorously. Chill for one hour. Pour
into a punch bowl, add ice, and float
grapefruit wheels on top.
lthough the word " Halloween " is only
about 250 years old, people have been
observing the holiday and its precursors for
at least 500 years and possibly much longer. Many
historians trace the roots of Halloween to Celtic harvest
festivals, while others date it all the way back to
Ancient Rome and festivals honoring the dead.
How we commemorate the fall season has
changed quite a lot over the years. Games, costumes,
eating and drinking have been part of the
celebration for hundreds of years, though trick-ortreating
with plastic jack-o-lantern candy baskets is
pretty new. Surprisingly, bobbing for apples has
been around for 2,000 years, shortly after the
Romans invaded Britain.
A party is always a great way to mark the date.
Here are some tips for throwing your own:
A
MUSIC
Instead of playing random music or having one of
those great parties where everyone stands around
in silence, why not curate your own holiday mix?
Tried and true Halloween favorites like " Monster
Mash, " " Superstition " and " Ghostbusters " are
obvious choices, but there are thousands of others.
" Dead Man's Party, " " Witchy Woman, " " Psycho
Killer, " " A Nightmare on My Street, " " Haunted, "
" Ghost Town, " " Howlin' for You, " " Feed My
Frankenstein " and of course anything by Vampire
Weekend. Play the list from a streaming service or
your phone, or kick it old-school and make a mix
CD-which can double as a retro party favor.
INVITATIONS
These are more important than you think. An invitation
can help set the mood you want the party
itself to have-spooky, fun, outrageous, childfriendly,
lighthearted-if you choose the right
graphics, style and tone. Be clear and frank about
what you expect from your guests. Are kids and
animals welcome? Should they bring anything?
Should they be in costume? When does the party
begin and end? E-vites and text-vitations are quick
and easy, but a hard copy card sent by U.S. mail
is much more likely to catch attention (and there's
no spam folder in your front door).
26 IOWA SPIRITS
Iowa Fall 21-Winter 22

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Iowa Fall 21-Winter 22
