To me, one of the best things about cocktails is the way they bring us as humans together. I love bellying up to a bar, watching the bartenders do their thing, and striking up conversations with the other people around me. I love having friends over and mixing drinks, chatting and laughing as we while away the hours over delicious tipples. A solo cocktail is a fine thing, to be sure, but for me, the whole experience is so much better when it’s shared.
But right now, my friends, that sharing is on hold. As communities across the US (mine included) and the globe deal with sheltering in place and physical distancing, we need to press pause on raising a glass together out in the world.
That’s the bad news. The good news is that there are some easy ways you can partake of the joy of cocktails, support your local small businesses, stay connected with friends and neighbors, and level up your drinks game in the process, all while staying safe. Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Seek Out Small Businesses for Cocktail Supplies and Inspiration
Here in Oakland, and throughout California, non-essential businesses are closed until at least early April, which is a real blow to the wallet for many small, local companies.
In addition to supporting your favorite local bars and restaurants by buying gift certificates you can use once things are back in action, or by ordering food (and here in California, cocktails!) for pick-up, here are a few ideas for how to show small businesses some much-needed love.
Spice up your simple syrups, tinctures, and infusions by buying fresh spices from small spice shops. If you’ve gotta be cooped up inside for a few weeks, why not take this opportunity to experiment with making your own flavored syrups, cordials, and other cocktail ingredients? You might not have a spice shop in your area, but Oaktown Spice (based right here in Oakland) and Skordo (based in Portland, ME) are two fab options that deliver throughout the country.
Hit up your local bookstore for a new cocktail tome. Yes, Amazon will bring nearly anything right to your door, but please consider buying from a local bookseller instead. Stores themselves might be closed right now, but many are offering free delivery or no-contact pick-up options. I just ordered David Lebovitz’ new Drinking French from East Bay Booksellers, an awesome local shop here in Oakland; it’ll be in my hands tomorrow, and I have the satisfaction of knowing that I’m contributing to keeping a store I love afloat.
Go local with your booze buying. Even if you normally stock up on liquor at Costco, a chain supermarket, or a store like BevMo, consider spending a few extra bucks to grab a few bottles from your corner store, a nearby independent grocer, or a local bottle shop that offers delivery or no-contact pick-up.
Raise a Glass with Friends and Neighbors
Even if those around you still look and seem hale and hardy, now’s probably not the time to get the gang together for drinks. But that doesn’t mean you need to drink alone.
If you live somewhere that makes this feasible, how about coordinating with your neighbors to all open your doors, step out onto your stoops, or poke your heads out the windows at the same time one evening to enjoy happy hour together from a safe distance? The same idea holds for far-flung pals: have everyone make a drink, hop on a video chat, and enjoy a temporary escape, a good cocktail, and the company of friends.
Want to take it a step further? Arrange with nearby neighbors or friends to do a batched cocktail “chain letter”: each person mixes up a batch of their favorite drink and leaves it in a bottle on another participant’s doorstep. Make it a one-time thing or keep it going for several evenings to get the chance to mix up and taste multiple different drinks. (Of course, it’s extra important to follow safe handling and safe prep procedures now, and to bow out of the round robin if you or anyone under your same roof feels at all unwell.)
Have Extra Time Right Now? Use It to Branch Out with Your Cocktails
Finally, if you’re sheltering in place or simply spending a lot more time at home than you normally do, you might find yourself with extra time on your hands. (You might also find yourself needing to keep any young ones who might be at home with you entertained and safely occupied for way longer than usual, in which case you’re quite possibly ready for a drink.)
How ‘bout devoting an hour or two (or forty-two: no judgment!) that you might’ve spent doing…well, anything out of the house to diving deeper into cocktail making?
I for one typically tend to breeze right past any cocktail recipe that involves anything homemade that’s more complex than simple syrup, especially in the midst of a busy week. But now, friends? Now is the time to make those multi-ingredient syrups, to delve into cordials, maybe to make a tincture or two.
It’s also the time to experiment with the bottles gathering dust in my bar (lookin’ at you, cachaça!) and to find creative ways of finishing off those with a lingering inch of booze remaining.
Make your own ice! Get fancy with the garnishes! Bust out the vintage glassware (ahem) instead of the plain glass tumbler! Master your shaking technique, or get in a mini workout by shaking up a Ramos gin fizz! The options and adventures are endless.
We’re in This Together
When the worst of this pandemic is behind us, things have stabilized, and we can once again get together in person (responsibly!), it’ll be so very awesome to physically clink glasses again.
In the meantime, let’s do everything we can to stay connected even though we’re keeping a safe distance. Cocktails can bring us together with our friends, our neighbors, and our local businesses, and can help keep us united and sane during these immensely uncertain times.
I raise a glass to you and yours and wish you health, happiness, and some new cocktailing skills.