A Spirited Catholic Date Night: Our Favorite At-Home Tradition "Drinking with the Saints"

If you're looking for a way to switch up date nights, I've got you covered. I originally purchased the book Drinking with the Saints because I thought it would look cute on my bar cart, but I didn't give it much of a glance beyond that.

After getting married, my husband and I had an idea—pick a "saint of the week" from the book, make their signature cocktail, and learn about their life. We found the book absolutely delightful to read. It's funny, clever, and rich with the lives of the saints. It quickly became a weekly tradition we looked forward to.

Our Unlikely Guide: Drinking with the Saints

So, what’s the book actually like? Drinking with the Saints is heavy on classic spirits like vermouth, brandy, and gin (none of which my husband and I are fanatics about, but we still enjoyed the weekly drink), with a fair amount of niche liqueurs that can be hard to find. But you have to give the author some grace; it's not easy to come up with hundreds of unique cocktails and creatively connect each one to a saint. (Strangely, there are very few cocktails with vodka—I guess the author isn't a fan. Or maybe we're lacking in Russian saints. XD)

It pairs a cocktail, beer or wine with the saint of the day (there's one for almost every day of the year!). Each saint has a brief backstory and an explanation for the alcohol pairing. The whole book is well organized and written in a warm, funny tone. You can get an idea of this from the full title of the book: Drinking with the Saints: A Sinner's Guide to a Holy Happy Hour. It's wonderful.

How to Create Your Own Saintly Cocktail Night

Our date night tradition went something like this: each week, we’d look at the options and choose the cocktail that sounded the best. Oftentimes, this necessitated a trip to the liquor store to secure a specific ingredient. This became an extra part of the date that we loved: going to a cool liquor store (If you ever find yourself in Houston, check out the downtown Spec's on Smith St- it's spectacular) and perusing the shelves on the hunt for an obscure liqueur. And sometimes an extra special chocolate from France or something, too.

(This was all before kids, of course. The thought of walking into a store with my toddler, aisles filled floor to ceiling with expensive glass bottles sends shivers down my spine. And slowly perusing shelves just for the enjoyment of it feels like a distant memory. Wouldn't trade our kids for the world, but they surely do change your life).

The best part about this date night idea is that you can adapt it to your own style. You can get as involved as you want. Here’s how to make it your own:

• Keep it Simple: Just choose a cocktail that looks good and read the short, entertaining blurb about the saint in the book while you sip.
• Go All In: Research the saint more deeply, find a documentary about them, or pray for their intercession throughout the week.
• The Point Is: Just have fun with it! It’s about spending quality time together and creating a tradition that’s uniquely yours.

Take It to the Next Level: Themed Dinners & More

Why stop at the cocktail hour? Carry the fun right into dinner!

You can create a special meal that pairs well with your cocktail or design a whole menu inspired by the saint’s life and homeland. An Italian saint? Make homemade pasta! St. Thérèse of Lisieux? Decorate a beautiful dessert with rose petals.

And if you don't feel like drumming up your own creative food pairings, the author has you covered. For a perfect match, Michael P. Foley also wrote Dining with the Saints. The two books pair beautifully for a complete, themed evening. The recipe book is also kid friendly, if you want to make a family date night out of it.

On the author's website, he also includes a format for starting your own couple's group "Drink Pray Love". Sounds like a great way to build community.

Cheers to starting new traditions! If you're looking to incorporate more Catholic traditions in your home, check out my post on liturgical living.

What's your favorite at-home date night idea? I'd love to hear in the comments below!