Crosby's Kitchen & CocktailThe Dark Woods

n the late 1800s, a traveler was making his way to Tampa. It was getting dark and he decided to take a shortcut through the woods in order to reach his hotel in the city before nightfall. As the sun set, he found himself in the middle of the dark woods. He camped for the evening and made a fire. As he settled in, he noticed a light approaching from the depths of the forest. He took shelter to avoid being seen by potential thieves. A dark figure emerged from the woods carrying a large black cauldron and a heavy burlap sack. The figure placed the cauldron over the fire and added strange substances to the pot. Soon, an enticing chocolate aroma permeated the campsite and the hiding traveler became more intrigued but was still afraid to be seen. Suddenly, the figure reached into the burlap sack and tossed mysterious pinecone-shaped vegetation into the cauldron, which began to froth excitedly, emitting aromas of molasses and blackberry. The figure leaned over the kettle and inhaled deeply, enjoying the boiling concoction. Finally, he raised his hands and uttered an other-wordly incantation in a disconnected language that the man could not identify. Tree limbs levitated from the dark woods and into the pot, stirring and infusing with the dark liquid inside. Suddenly there was a brilliant flash of light and the traveler lost consciousness. He awoke as the sun was rising across the sky and small beams of light permeated the forest. The dark figure was gone and all that was left was a strange urn resting by the campsite. The writing on the urn proclaimed, “THE DARK WOODS.”