Sweetest Day

Did you know Sweetest Day is this Saturday?

For those of you outside the Great Lakes Region, you may have no idea what I'm talking about.  For those of you from the upper Midwest, you probably know exactly what I'm talking about.  Whether you are looking forward to the other Valentines Day, or whether you grumbling about the "Hallmark Holiday" that has no real meaning, there is no question that the day is celebrated by many here in Milwaukee.

While it is true that Sweetest Day was an 'invented' holiday that was used to sell candy in the 1920s, the fact is that many of the holidays we celebrate today were promoted or created by a commercial business.  Do you think the Christmas Card or the turkey dinner on Thanksgiving would be what they are without the Hallmark or Butterballs of the world?

Maybe it is time we change our perception of sweetest day.  After all, it is a retro holiday with a unique beginning.  Imagine all the flappers and dapper celebrities handing out candy in Cleveland in the 1920s.  Imagine the candy they were handing out!  It was probably an awesome treat that tastes nothing like what we have today.  Back in those days, candy making was an art, similar to mixology or bread making.  It was such a celebrated craft that they could have just as easily called Sweetest Day "Artisan Chocolate Day", but this, of course, would not have the sensual connotations that sweetest has.

This year at Bryant's, we are bringing back the roots of the holiday.  We are working with Atomic Chocolates, a local artisan chocolate maker, to provide a free chocolate to the first 100 guests on Saturday.  Unlike the store bought candies you often see on Sweetest Day, these chocolates are the real deal, made with fresh ingredients and rich cocoa.  We like to think these are similar to the chocolates that were given out back in the 1920s, before corn syrup and artificial flavors became standard ingredients in candy.

We hope that even those of you who hate the idea of sweetest day will join us this weekend for a cocktail and celebration of the sweet thing we sometimes take for granted.  Whether you decide to bring your sweet thing is entirely up to you.

We open at 5PM on Saturday with the Velvet Lounge opening at 8PM.