Halloween and Día de los Muertos with Death and Friends

Join us for a fun deep dive into the history of Halloween and Día de los Muertos with Nash and Angel of the Death and Friends podcast. We talk about the ancient origins of Halloween, beginning with the Celtic bonfires, feasts, and drunken festivities that took place during Samhain. When the forces of colonialism, Catholicism, and capitalism arrive on the scene, the Pagan celebration is appropriated and severely distorted. We discuss how these communal celebrations slowly morph into the capitalist holiday that we now celebrate by purchasing candy, decorations, mass-produced costumes, and scary movies. Angel Luna helps us understand the connections between Halloween and Día de los Muertos. He explains the anticapitalist origins of sugar skulls – a tradition that grew out of political art critiquing the Mexican bourgeoisie. To give you a bit of Angel’s background, he is a Chicago-based comedian and magician. If you need a magician for a wedding, a bar mitzvah, or a quinceniera, you should hit him up! Follow him on Twitter and IG.Nash Flynn is actually a returning guest who previously appeared on the show to talk about how capitalism ruined funerals. In addition to being a comedian, Nash is also a death historian who studies death-ways and burial rituals. She’s also the host of the Tomorrow Today podcast that explores current research about the shape of the future.Follow Death and Friends on IG and TwitterFollow Nash on Twitter and IG~~~~~~~~~~Our cocktail pairing for this episode is the “October Veil,” a name that refers to the ancient belief that the veil between this world and the next is thinnest during Samhain. It was believed that the veil became so thin during this time of year that spirits could cross over into the world of the living. Big thanks to Jesse Torres for crafting this beautiful Halloween drink!October Veil CocktailUse your favorite spiced rum but we recommend using Chairman’s Reserve, Bounty, or Foursquare. Any good dry fortified wine that isn’t sweet like Madeira, Sherry, or Port will work great here too. 60 ml Chairman’s Reserve St. Lucian Spiced Rum22 ml Dry Madeira or Sherry 22 ml Cinnamon syrup30 ml Pumpkin puree (canned)15 ml Lemon Juice15 ml Cranberry Juice2 dash Aromatic BittersAdd all ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake well with one ice cube. Dump into a brandy snifter or other lovely glass and top with pebble or crushed ice. Add a straw and garnish with a rosemary sprig, fresh cranberries, and a dusting of powdered sugar. Glassware:  Brandy SnifterGarnish: Rosemary Sprig, Fresh Cranberries, Powdered SugarABV: 18%Cinnamon syrup2:1 ratio by weight of granulated demerara sugar to water. Using a pan and stove, add sugar to water and bring to a simmer (≈88°C—DO NOT BOIL). Add three broken cinnamon sticks to every 250ml of water and let simmer for twenty minutes until sugar is completely dissolved. Fine strain, bottle, and label. Shelf stable up to one month.Support the showCocktails & Capitalism is an anticapitalist labor of love, but we could use your help to make this project sustainable. If you can support with even a dollar a month, that would really help us continue to educate, agitate, and amplify the voices of those who are working to dismantle capitalism and create a better world.https://www.patreon.com/cocktailsandcapitalismFollow us on Instagram and TwitterSome episodes on YouTube. Subscribe & enjoy! Cheers!