BONUS FREE ISSUE: Devil’s Dinner Party
A dispatch and cocktails from an event series in Salem.
Welcome to the Witch’s Kitchen! Before we dive into today’s issue, I wanted to send along a reminder that today is the LAST DAY for the 30 percent annual subscription discount. If you’re a monthly subscriber looking to upgrade, know someone who wants to subscribe, or want to gift someone a subscription, please click below!
Hello, wonderful witches!
Io Saturnalia! Today is every ancient Roman’s favorite holiday. It’s when they would honor Saturn, the god of agriculture and time, with a week-long party that kicked off on December 17. So let’s do as the Romans did: If you’re working or going to school or really doing any sort of business still today, STOP! It’s Saturnalia time. Decorate your home with greenery, put on some colorful clothes, and play music, sing, gamble, and feast. You’ve earned it.
Today’s issue is a bonus free one for everybody, not just because of Saturnalia, but also because it’s the very last day to get 30 percent off annual subscriptions for the holidays. Click the button up top if you want to upgrade or gift a subscription.
Our article today isn’t about Saturnalia, but it is about a celebration. We’re getting an inside look at an atmospheric Satanic dinner party, complete with two tarot-based cocktail recipes to make when you host your own.
Spirit Cooking at The Devil’s Dinner Party
By Shiva Honey
The Devil’s Dinner Party is a series of immersive events I created with Adam Dodge, The Satanic Chef, at The Satanic Temple Headquarters in Salem, Massachusetts. In 2017, I began holding ritual events at the formal victorian funeral home. In 2018, I was tasked with coming up with a series of Satanic events within its gorgeous confines. Inspired by the tales of Marie-Hélène de Rothschild's party at Château de Ferrières on December 12th, 1972, I proposed we hold a grand dinner party. Tickets were very limited, surrealist attire was encouraged, and the courses and libations were many.
The Devil’s Dinner Party was a ritual celebration of food, community, and hedonism. As a Satanist, I view this life as my only incarnation and feel compelled to savor every moment that I can. The dinner party was a way to embrace that philosophy. The meal was seven meticulously planned courses, each with a wine pairing, set to a playlist of dramatic classical works. The dinner itself spanned two hours. Guests were encouraged to be in the moment and fully present at the table for the duration of the feast. Upon entering, I requested that all devices be turned off and then I escorted each person to their seat to enjoy the first course, blindfolded. This alchemical exercise transformed strangers into friends, and silence into conversation, laughter, and revelry. After dinner, The Devil's Debutante Szandora LaVey captivated the audience with a sultry burlesque performance. The evening was sealed with a cathartic destruction ritual.
The Devil’s Dinner Party events are currently paused, but in the meantime, Adam, The Satanic Chef, is hosting a cooking class series online. He’s also collaborating on virtual events with a small independent venue in Somerville, Massachusetts, called ONCE. Plus, he’s putting the final touches on his Satanic cookbook.
If you want to host your own dinner, try these two tarot-inspired cocktail recipes.
Tarot is a long-standing passion of mine. It has provided countless insights, inner healing, and a reliable compass when I’ve needed it most. I’ve seen its impact on the thousands I’ve read for over the years. Regardless of the circumstances, the cards have a unique way of tuning us into our hidden desires and needs.
Cocktails can be a revealer of truth in their own right—just as blunt, unforgiving, and inspirational as the cards. I started teaching my husband, a professional bartender, tarot over the last few years. Together we decided to meld our love of the cards with our love for cocktails and put together several drinks inspired by the tarot. We worked with our favorite herbalist Heather from Hedgewitch Holistics to concoct herbal elixirs and simple syrups that correspond to each card to add a little extra magic to the cocktails.
I like to think of each drink as a spell of its own—and that when I’m imbibing, I’m bringing the power and wisdom of each card into myself. As with any spell, feel free to substitute the ingredients if you’d like. Enjoy!
High Priestess
The High Priestess is a source of sacred wisdom, enlightenment, and knowledge. Drink to invoke the divine feminine, your own inner knowing, and power.
Ingredients
2 ounces bourbon
1 ounce St-Germain elderflower liqueur
2 ounces grapefruit juice
3 droppers Hedgewitch Holistics High Priestess elixir (A blend of juniper berry, shatavari, tulsi, brandy, and raw honey.)
Pellet ice
Marigold flower
Incense (My preferred is Speramus Meliora from my incense line.)
Directions
In a tumbler glass, mix bourbon, St. Germain, and grapefruit juice. Stir.
Add High Priestess elixir. Stir.
Add pellet ice and dress with a marigold flower. Burn incense around the drink before you imbibe.
The Lovers
The Lovers encourages partnership, unity, and self-love. Drink to spark romance, build love, and tune into your desire.
Ingredients
2 ounces bourbon
.5 ounce Strega Liqueur
.5 ounce Creme de Violette
3 droppers Hedgewitch Holistics Fade Into You elixir (A blend of hawthorn berry, leaf, and flower; heather flower; kava kava; rose; damiana; hibiscus; brandy; and raw honey.)
Spritz of rose water
Orchid
Directions
In a martini glass, mix bourbon, Strega Liqueur, and Creme de Violette. Stir.
Add Fade Into You elixir. Stir.
Spritz with rose water and dress with an orchid before serving.
Shiva is an artist, best-selling author, musician, and member of The Satanic Temple (TST). She has served in various leadership roles within TST and led rituals at The Satanic Temple Salem, including modern takes on The Black Mass. This year she released her first book, The Devil's Tome: A Book of Modern Satanic Ritual and is currently working on The Devil's Deck, a Satanic ritual deck, as well as an album of Satanic ritual music. Shiva sells candles, oils, and ritual products through her site Serpentīnae.
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Coming Up Next Week…
Yule begins on Monday, so we’ll be kicking off the celebration with a bonus issue and recipe for paid subscribers. And then we’ll be back on Thursday with a fun piece about the magical properties of chocolate.
See you then!