Labour Day always means summer is over. There’s something about it that takes you back to being in school when the start of September always meant that the fun was about to end and it was back to real life (or the the beginning of Pumpkin Spice Latte mania, however you want to look at it).
We wanted to end summer on a high note, so this Labour Day we are having one last hurrah. None of us had the opportunity to go camping this year, but we didn’t want the season to end feeling like we missed out on all the best parts of the experience. So we had out own little “faux” camping retreat right here in the city, except we got to sleep in our own beds at night (major win). That’s right, we’re talking s’mores without a firepit, campfire tales, boozy drinks and making some sweet citronella candles. It really doesn’t get better than this guys.
Our friend Nicole joined us again, so it felt like a real party. There were even red Muskoka chairs like we were at a high-end cottage. Only we weren’t. Because we’re not ballin’ yet.
- Small terracotta pots
- Tin foil
- Coal (4-5 pieces per pot)
- Newspaper (or any other kind of kindling like dry leaves or sticks)
- Long matches
- Graham crackers
- Marshmellows
- Chocolate (we used Hershey’s)
- Roasting stick
- A sweet tooth
- Line the inside of the terracotta pot with tin foil
- Line the inside of the pots with the kindling
- Add 4-5 pieces of coal to each one
- Place your pots in a fire resistant area, such as on a flat stone or concrete
- Light the kindling with the long matches
- Once these bad boys get a flame going, roast your marshmellow
- Take two graham crackers and a chunk of chocolate and pull the marshmellow off the roasting stick using the two crackers like tongs.
- Consume!
When you’re eating s’mores you’ll want to set an authentic campfire setting. The best way to do so is by sharing some tried and true campfire stories. We’re talking urban legend material. Here’s the best collection we found on the web.
We also made some bomb citronella candles that are not only good for keeping the bigs away, but seriously set the mood. You’ll feel like you’re in the deep woods, trust us. You can get the lowdown on how to make these guys here.
S’mores as good as these ones require a stiff beverage. You don’t want anything too heavy because s’mores are so rich. We developed the perfect cocktail to capture the campaign ambience. We call it the Campfire Sour. You can grab the recipe here.
Set the mood for your faux camping experience with some tried and tested jams.