FIELD NOTES — SEASONAL ENTRY
This guide may contain affiliate links. If you buy through one, we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. We only recommend the kinds of things we’d keep ourselves.
The Short List
Jump straight to the picks.
Halloween belongs to the kids, and it should. The porch light, the bowl by the door, the doorbell every four minutes. But somewhere around nine o’clock the last pirate heads home, and the night turns into something else.
This guide is for that second half. Nothing to wear and no party to throw. Just three things, set out before dark, so that when the porch light goes off the evening is already waiting.
The specimens
A Cut-Crystal Decanter
No. 01- The pour
- Something dark and old
- Why it works
- Halloween is the one night a decanter looks exactly right. Cut crystal catches candlelight and throws it around the room.
- Notes
- Pour the bottle you’ve been saving: an aged bourbon, an old rye, a sherried Scotch. Decant it in the afternoon so it’s ready. For long-term keeping, the whiskey goes back in its bottle; the decanter is for the night.
- Our picks
- Godinger Dublin decanter, about $40, or the Waterford Markham decanter with two glasses, about $135
Candles, Not Costumes
No. 02- The light
- Two tapers and a carved moon
- Why it works
- Turn off the overheads. Two tall tapers in brass holders and a jack-o’-lantern on the bar cart are enough light to pour by.
- Notes
- Carve a crescent moon instead of a face. It reads grown-up and throws a softer light. Keep tapers clear of curtains, never leave them burning in an empty room, and use a battery tea light in the pumpkin if it sits near anything that can catch.
- Our picks
- brass taper holders, about $8 a pair, and ivory dripless tapers, about $17
One Good Cigar
No. 03- The smoke
- For after the doorbell stops
- Why it works
- Wait until the last knock and the porch light is off. Then one cigar, cut clean, out on the porch or by the fire pit while the street goes quiet.
- Notes
- Pick his usual, or ask the shop for a mild, medium-length smoke he can finish in about an hour. A heavy glass ashtray stays put on a porch rail.
- Our picks
- the XIKAR Xi1 cutter, about $74, and a heavy glass cigar ashtray, about $22
The Pour: A Blood Orange Old Fashioned
One proper drink for the second half of the night. It’s an Old Fashioned with blood orange stirred in, so it pours a deep, dark red and smells like the season. Two minutes to make, once the doorbell stops.
For one drink
- 2 oz bourbon. Something with a little spice; a high-rye bourbon is ideal.
- 1 oz fresh blood orange juice (about half an orange)
- ¼ oz maple syrup, like Crown Maple bourbon barrel-aged syrup
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- A wide strip of blood orange peel, cut with a Y-peeler
- One big clear cube or sphere from a clear ice mold
Method
- Measure the bourbon, juice, maple and bitters with a jigger into a mixing glass half full of ice.
- Stir for about 20 seconds, until the outside of the glass is cold.
- Strain over the big ice in a heavy rocks glass.
- Twist the peel over the top to spray its oils across the drink, rub it on the rim, and drop it in.
Blood oranges are a winter fruit, so they can be hard to find in October. A regular orange with a splash of pomegranate juice gives you the same color. If you flame the peel for show, do it well away from the tapers.
The order of the night
At dusk, light the tapers and the pumpkin. After the last knock, turn off the porch light and pour. Once the street is quiet, take the cigar outside. Before bed, blow out every flame and check the pumpkin.
No costume required. Just a good pour and a quiet room.
A few questions, answered
What should I pour on Halloween night?
Something dark and old — the bottle you've been saving. An aged bourbon, an old rye, a sherried Scotch. Decant it in the afternoon so it's ready when the porch light goes off.
Is a decanter just for looks?
On Halloween, looks are the point — cut crystal catches candlelight and throws it around the room. But for long-term keeping, the whiskey goes back in its bottle; the decanter is for the night.
How do I make Halloween feel grown-up without throwing a party?
Nothing to wear, no party to throw. Set out three things before dark: a decanter, two tapers in brass holders, and one good cigar. When the last trick-or-treater heads home, the evening is already waiting.
What candles are safe around a bar cart?
Two tall tapers in brass holders, kept clear of curtains and never left burning in an empty room. For the pumpkin, use a battery tea light if it sits near anything that can catch.
What is a good Halloween gift for a whiskey lover?
Under $30: brass taper holders and a box of good tapers — the light for the whole night. Around $40: a cut-crystal decanter that looks far more expensive than it is. Bring it over on the 31st, already filled, with two tapers in the bag.
What cigar should I smoke on Halloween?
One good one, after the doorbell stops. Pick his usual, or ask the shop for a mild, medium-length smoke he can finish in about an hour. Wait until the last knock and the porch light is off.
What is the order of a gentleman's Halloween night?
At dusk, light the tapers and the pumpkin. After the last knock, turn off the porch light and pour. Once the street is quiet, take the cigar outside. Before bed, blow out every flame and check the pumpkin.
THE SOCIETY’S GIFTING NOTES
For the host who’d rather stay in.
TIER 1
Under $30
The light for the whole night: brass holders and a box of good tapers, for about the price of a bag of the good candy.
Our pick: brass taper holders with ivory tapers
TIER 2
Around $40
A cut-crystal decanter that looks far more expensive than it is, and earns its place on the bar the rest of the year.
Our pick: the Godinger Dublin decanter
TIER 3
$100 and up
A Waterford decanter with a matching pair of glasses. The one that gets handed down.
Our pick: the Marquis by Waterford Markham set
How to give it: bring it over on the 31st, already filled, with two tapers in the bag.
