Halloween Treats, No Tricks

2020 is likely going to give me the most interesting Halloween of my lifetime. I can remember so many memories from my childhood; the funny costumes my mom made for me (the best one was a homemade Stay Puft Marshmallow Man) or the weeknights we would stay out late with our neighborhood friends going house to house without a care in the world.

Andrew Gough (left), age 8, with sister, Annie (right), age 13, Halloween night 1988.

And as I grew out of my childhood into an adult, my focus went to parties. I distinctly remember dressing up as Thomas Etheridge, the con man that created the quickly defunct Wild West World in Park City. He scammed investors to give their life savings to create a western themed park that lasted barely two months.

And after this moment in my life, enter my children. The focus on Halloween suddenly became all about our kids. Don’t get me wrong, I get to have some fun. One year I dressed up in a gorilla suit to snag a cup of coffee from our café. I wish I could share the video footage I was able to capture from our security cameras…it was fun to watch all the people turn their heads as I walked in and out. But as we near the next holiday, Halloween just does not feel like it is going to be the same as the past.

To say COVID-19 has changed things in our lives is an understatement. Our business only recently reopened the café to seating after being closed or limited to carryout for 6-months. There is still no limit to the toll our business and community will pay. It is still happening, and it does not seem to be going away anytime soon.

Reverie reopened to limited/distanced seating on Tuesday, September 22nd.

Halloween will certainly be different in 2020. In fact, the neighborhood I live in, College Hill, has cancelled its famous Halloween Street. And it is too bad; this year, Halloween falls on the eve of Daylight Savings Time…we would have gotten an extra hour to roam the streets! But with the health concerns for children and families, and the heightened concerns for transmitting COVID-19 to people around us, it makes sense to sit this one out. My kids understand because we explained it to them. We will be sure to have fun in ways that do not take away from the Halloween spirit we all have come to look forward to.

Every year we celebrate the holiday with a fire in the driveway. This year, we will be out back with our closest neighbors. And besides the typical smores and toasted hotdogs cooked over open flame, the parents will be enjoying a few adult-style beverages including delicious coffee roasted at Reverie. To compliment what is sure to be a chilly night by the fire, I am brewing a pot of Moonless Midnight with a carafe of warmed cream infused with cinnamon stick, nutmeg, and cardamom pods. From my liquor cupboard, I will snag a bottle of Irish Whiskey and Brandy to truly warm up the coffee for the parent guests.

Irish Whiskey makes just about everything creamy taste better. We love The Sexton Single Malt Irish Whiskey.

Somehow, when you are sitting around the fire, you can automatically stay up later. And with Halloween falling on a Saturday, the same night as Daylight Savings, I cannot help but think that the boozy coffee creations will make well for us to stick around a bit later to enjoy the time we have while distancing from the large crowds that trick or treating usually provides.

Whatever you do this Halloween, we hope you remain safe and have some fun. If you choose to include coffee in your festivities, we hope you choose Reverie. Here is a link to order a bag to be sent directly to your home.

Andrew Gough, owner

Our little Keeper

I couldn’t resist sharing one of the handmade costumes my wife, Katie, designed and built for our son, Sully. This was the best one yet.