Halloween 2022 has many delights. It’s a combination of the scary, the fall, the pagan closing of the year and relief from the summer heat–and this summer burned brutal in Lancaster, PA. This year, we expected summer to hold on far into October as it had the previous few years, but we were pleasantly surprised when come the last week of fall, we were packing up our air conditioners and putting on long flannel pajama pants to stay warm at night. This Sunday, October 2nd, the fragments of Ian blew north to Pennsylvania, and we delayed our weekend plans to stay in, cook and watch the rain fall in the city.
There are many ways to enjoy the holiday month at home–yes, Halloween isn’t a day; it’s a season. I decorated our flat in the middle of September, mixing the scary and autumn decor. The rainy weekend made this the perfect day to make buttermilk pumpkin pancakes. Normally, we do mimosas but during this season, I whip up a batch of some of the sweetest ambrosia: caramel apple sangria. After a few years of making this drink, I’ve perfected a recipe, though naturally the best recipes are modified for the tastes of those eating and drinking. I’ve been experimenting with different kinds of apple-flavored liquors, and I’ve come up with something special. Now, please remember to be responsible. This stuff doesn’t taste like alcohol, and it hits hard, so it’s best to drink it when you’re staying home for the day. No driving or operating heavy machinery. And drink some water with it.
CARAMEL APPLE SANGRIA RECIPE
First, get a big cauldron or ghoul vat to mix it in. There’s no special order. Just pour it all together, perhaps giving an evil laugh. Serves best in skull mugs.
MIX THE FOLLOWING:
- — 2-3 CUPS Apple Cider (This is the base. Add more or less depending on your preferences.)
- — 2 CUPS White Wine (Pinot Grigio works best, not too sweet)
- — 2 CUPS Caramel flavored Vodka (This is what gives its the caramel flavor
- — 1 CUP Apple Brandy
- — 1 CUP Sour Apple Schnapps (The more you add, the sourer it gets.)
- — 1/2 TEASPOON Cinnamon
- — 1/4 TEASPOON of Whole Cloves and Ginger Root in a tea strainer or cloth to strain into the liquor.
- — 8-10 Cinnamon Sticks to let soak in the liquor and to put in the glass.
- — Slices from an apple and orange.
Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease…
“Part medical horror, part supernatural suspense, MERCY is a hard-hitting fever dream of a novel. I enjoyed the hell out of it!” ~ Tim Waggoner, author of The Way of All Flesh and Eat The Night
William Saint is dying of cancer. Stricken with fever, he is rushed to Mercy—notorious as a place to send the sickest of the poor and uninsured to be forgotten—and finds the hospital in even worse condition than his previous visit. The grounds are unkempt, the foundation is cracking, and like the wild mushrooms sprouting from fissures of decay around it, something is growing inside the hospital. Something dark… It’s feeding on the sickness and sustaining itself on the staff, changing them. And now it wants Willie.
“Dunham has channeled his many brushes with the other side into the exquisitely rendered, lyrical supernatural hospital thriller MERCY. 3.5 out of 4 Skulls.” – FANGORIA
Chill the sangria. It will get stronger over time, so you may want to add more apple cider. Take the strainer or tea cloth out after a day if you don’t want a spicy taste. This also tastes lovely warmed.
Enjoy. Multiply the ingredients at those parts for a larger batch. But don’t say I didn’t warn you!
