Poe-tent Potables and Performances: Mixing up the ‘Master of the Macabre’ 

I can still recall the chill running up and down my spine, not to mention that evening’s nightmares, after a teacher read Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Tell-Tale Heart” aloud during an English class. But fans of Master of the Macabre, those who find pleasure in Poe’s powerful and often poetic horror stories – some of the most grisly, terrifying and scariest tales ever told – those brave and fearless souls should head down to the Funk Zone this weekend for the Santa Barbara debut of “The Edgar Allan Poe Speakeasy,” an immersive touring show that mashes up literature and mixology. 

Although Poe passed away more than 150 years ago, his works have become the catalyst for the Speakeasy, where guests will listen to Poe “historians” retelling some of the writer’s most infamous tales while sipping on carefully crafted cocktails inspired by four of Poe’s iconic stories. A Poe “historian” serves as emcee, introducing the chilling stories, which include “The Black Cat,” “The Raven,” and “The Masque of the Red Death” and the aforementioned “Heart,” with a different cocktail designated for each of the tales, including Pale Blues Eyes (blueberry vodka-based), Cocktail of Red Death (100-proof vodka, Cherry Heering, Benedictine), Edgar’s Twisted Brandy Milk Punch (Kentucky Bourbon meets a French brandy), and The Nevermore (orange peach blossom vodka). 

The evening of literary “gothic elegance” takes place – where else? – at the Narrative Loft in Funk Zone, with the added eerie twist of Friday the 13th falling smack dab in the middle of the September 12-14 dates, each featuring several iterations of the 90-minute show. Visit www.edgarallanpoebar.com for tickets.