So, Thanksgiving is almost here, and that means that, technically, Black Friday is also imminent. But what does this mean as a practical matter? These days, Black Friday is more than a day; it’s a season. Black Friday “sales” have been running since late July. Back in my day, Black Friday really meant something. It only lasted for a few hours. You had to set the alarm, get up before daybreak on the morning after Thanksgiving, and drive to your local mall to nab the “door buster” deals by elbowing little old ladies out of the way. You felt like you had accomplished something, and you saved 50-80 percent on the retail price of an item which you may or may not have actually wanted. But still.
Anyway, whether we like it or not, Black Friday is still a thing. And by happy coincidence, my new Edgar Allan Poe cocktail book–Potable Poe: Cocktails of Mystery and Imagination (Fulcort Press, 2025) is being published just in time for the Black Friday season. I would be neglecting my duty if I didn’t point out it’s the ideal Christmas gift for the Poe fans, cocktail drinkers, and impossible-to-buy-for brothers-in-law in your life. Your Christmas shopping is as good as done!
This is seriously a fine little volume: It’s a quality hardcover book, featuring full-color photographs of 31 Poe-themed cocktails, each with its own recipe, an excerpt from the Poe story that inspired it, a plot summary, and a bit of Poe-related trivia to impress your friends. These are the same cocktails that I presented in my October 2025 blog entries, except now they’re in a handy volume that would look swell on any home bar.
Naturally, one the featured stories/cocktails is Poe’s “The Black Cat,” which explains the title of today’s blog and the glorious photo of Vincent. And that brings us back to the Black (Cat) Friday part: From now until Christmas, I’m declining all profit from sales of this book; it’s being offered at the cost of printing and the associated (exorbitant) Amazon fees. (Technically, I will receive 15 cents for each book, just because I couldn’t figure out how to fine-tune the pricing calculator.) Anyway, you can get all the deets here.
I should make one thing clear, though: I’m not a mixologist, and my wife informs me that some of these cocktail recipes really aren’t that great. But that’s not the point. The primary purpose of the drinks is to evoke some aspect of a Poe tale. So, caveat emptor and all that. But I think you’ll find all 31 chapters to be both entertaining and illuminating. Plus, I say that some of the cocktails are surprisingly tasty!
To conclude, I wish you a happy and prosperous Black Friday season. And we’ll be back with another road trip very soon.
Chasing Phantoms 
Great blog, Steve. Loved the meshing of the Black (Cat) Friday sales and Poe, leading into your new book! Congratulations again on the release. I applaud your generosity in selling the book profit free. You rock! Happy Thanksgiving 🦃.Sherrill
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Congratulations!!
There’s a few recipes I aim to try. I look forward to receiving my autographed copy soon! :0)
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