Edgar Allan Poe is read hot 174 years after he died.
It makes some sense, giving the macabre subjects in his writing and it being Halloween season.
This year, though, Poe’s popularity has seemed to take a step up.
Go into any store and there will be Poe-related decorations. Things like a menacing-looking raven or a bust of the poet’s head.
Fans of all things Poe can not even take it a step further. The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy chilling cocktail experience is coming to Philadelphia for the weekend of Oct. 12-15.
In the immersive pop-up dark speakeasy, four of Poe’s most famous stories will be retold and reimagined by historians. The event’s macabre lead mixologist will transform each of those stories into a four-part cocktail experience that is paired with live entertainment and storytelling.
The speakeasy will pop-up at the special event space at Craft Hall, 901 N. Delaware Ave., just blocks from the famous Poe Mural and Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site. Tickets include the four cocktails, venue admission and the interactive show.
Tickets and more information are available now at www.edgarallanpoebar.com.
“Over a century and a half after Edgar Allan Poe’s death, this cocktail experience brings the most beloved works of Poe to life off the page and onto the stage,” said VBG Group Director of Marketing Ryan Wieczorek. “Come out for an immersive evening that pairs four tales with a dash and history and heavy libations.”
Poe lived in Philadelphia between 1838 and 1844, spending the last year to 18 months at a house on North Seventh Street, just up the street from Craft Hall. He crafted some of his most well known and important works while living here.
Some have called Philly the crucible for Poe’s imagination, as those were some of the most productive years for his writing career.
Visitors to the Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy will enjoy four cocktails expertly made special for this experience:
• Pale Blue Eye: A refreshing light blue cocktail made with blueberry vodka, fresh lemon juice, rose syrup and topped with La Croix.
• Cocktail of Red Death: A bright vibrant cocktail made with 100-proof vodka, cherry herring, benedictine liquor, lime juice, pineapple juice, and bitters.
• Edgar’s Twisted Brandy Milk Punch: Equal parts Kentucky Bourbon meets with French Brandy and is mixed with vanilla cream, milk syrup, and half and half. Topped with star anise.
• The Raventini: A black and gold cocktail fueled by citrus vodka, blackberry liquor, lime juice, and secret spices.
“We love Poe’s work and wanted to celebrate it – this is our favorite national traveling show and we can’t wait to introduce it in Philadelphia, where Poe found so much inspiration for some of his most famous works,” Wieczorek said. “It was important for us to bring Poe to a neighborhood here where Poe had a strong connection.”
Northern Liberties is home to the Edgar Allan Pоe National Historic Site, and to the famous Poe mural at N. 7th and Spring Garden.
