Just in from Vosges Haut-Chocolat - Day of the Dead skulls in 2 chocolate flavors! Celebrate Dia de los Muertos (and Halloween) with these solid chocolate skulls sparkling with black salt eyes, in Red Fire (Mexican ancho and chipotle chillies, cinnamon and dark chocolate) or Blanca (Venezuelan white chocolate). And for all you loyal readers, take advantage of the coupon below.

And, to take their take (take that) on chocolate bacon to a new level, check out these Flying Pigs dressed in what else but...bacon. Adoring fans who pine for Mo's Bacon Bar, beware! This flying chocolate pig is filled with applewood smoked bacon, Alder wood smoked salt and deep milk chocolate...yet another way to get your daily dose of bacon.

Yup, that's right. For all us ginger lovers (and those who've ever wanted to taste the delicious and healthful beverage made from this mysterious root), Village Candy will be hosting its second ever tasting event. And we've got a lot of gingers to try. In fact, so many that, like our other tastings, we're going to start with a fresh slate of new brews that have never hitherto set foot in PA (if they had feet). Now a little ginger primer...

Ginger soft drinks can be divided into two fairly identifiable categories, as cleverly marketed by a recent Australian arrival in two varieties, both by Buderim Ginger Ltd. There's Buderim Yank Style (or sweet) and Buderim Aussie Style (or hot). And that's pretty much the dividing line - sweet/hot. If you like your ginger sweet, like gingerbread or chews, then there's a brew for you, ordinarily called Ginger Ale and usually clearer in color. Falling into this category would be Canada Dry, Schweppes, Seagrams and other mixers with a sweetly refreshing taste and a hint of ginger tang. On the hot or spicy side would be the likes of Blenheim, AJ Stephan's, and Jamaica's Finest, and most of these are cloudy in color and often labeled Ginger Beer. It's all a matter of personal preference.

Ginger beer was first produced as an alcoholic beverage in the 1700s. It can be mixed with beer (usually a British ale of some sort) to make a type of shandy, and with Gosling's Black Seal rum to make a drink, originally from Bermuda, called a Dark 'N Stormy. Ginger beer is also the main ingredient in the Moscow Mule which kicked off the vodka craze in the United States during the 1950s, when gin was the preferred "white" (clear) liquor. The Mule was invented in 1941 by John G. Martin of G.F. Heublein Brothers, Inc., an East Coast spirits and food distributor, and John "Jack" Morgan,  proprietor of the Cock 'n Bull Tavern, a bar on Sunset Boulevard in Los Angeles. Village Candy stocks this original Cock 'N Bull Ginger Beer.

A whole bevy of bitey, bubbly beverages has recently arrived, and they're just waiting to be decanted and enjoyed for their complexity. So on Saturday, October 24, from 5:30pm to 6:30pm, we'll offer up these delicious, refreshing spritzers for all (who register) to sample.  Remember, it's always free and fun, but you must RSVP before it's too late.

We guarantee there will be several that you've never had before.  Come sip some spritzer on us - register now!

anking right up near the top as one of my favorite confections, this old-fashioned treat is still made the old-fashioned way and, believe it or not, is somewhat hard to come by in these parts.

But I digress...For those new to this game (better than Scrabble), name the candy that begins with the letter above, exactly as it appears on the package. And remember, if you're the first to send us the correct guess of the candy that begins with this letter, you'll win a very special prize.

Last Month's Clue
Congratulations to our 17th Candy Alphabet winner - Maxine Macha of Rancho Palos Verdes, California, who was the first to correctly guess Quench Gum, which we stock at Village Candy.

Quench is still produced today by Mueller Sports Medicine in gum sticks, gum chunks and mist. Quench was born more than 30 years ago in the small town of Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. Curt Mueller, a pharmacist-turned-chemist and former UW basketball player, invented a sour spray for athletes designed to eliminate cottonmouth. He called it Quench.

This Quench spray was great for basketball and football players, but joggers and runners had a hard time carrying and using the spray bottle while running. Curt's mind leapt to the many medicinal gums (including aspirin gum) that were on the market, and Quench, in gum form, was invented. Quench Gum's first customers were actually the Harlem Globetrotters.

When I was a young runt (no relation to Wonka) growing up in Newburgh NY, we had an autumn event where junior high and high school students volunteered to paint murals on the windows in the business district. All the supplies were provided, and everyone from miles around would come to watch the painting on that day, and view the works of art during the following week. At the end of that week prizes were awarded and the students would wash the paint off.

 

I wanted to try to bring this fun tradition to Sewickley on an annual basis, so this year Village Candy is doing a test run, just on our windows. Students from QVHS will paint our windows, under the direction (and watchful eye) of Robin Russell, QVHS art teacher extraordinaire. Come support the kids and view the works in progress. And volunteer to help spread this event village-wide!