April Roundup
Some things I drank, made, enjoyed, and read last month
The first in the now-monthly quick roundup of thoughts and links that are (mostly) related to what I right about here in MI. I frankly need to get better at writing things down as I thing of them throughout the month to make these better going forward…
What I’m Drinking
The Casamara Club “leisure sodas” are really quite excellent. They’re pricey, but the super-dry, highly-complex bubbly beverage scratches the long cocktail itch in a way that most packaged beverages don’t. The Como is especially good, with tons of citrus and floral notes that never get perfumey. I’ve also come to enjoy the weekly brand newsletter, which is similar to posts like this; short recommendations on good stuff to spend some time with.
On a similar note, I’m considering getting into sparkling water. My sodastream is fine, but its far from great. I’ve always really appreciated Topo Chico, but it seems like there’s so much of that world I don’t know that intrigues me. This from BA has me seeking out Agua de Piedra (since I’m obviously such an It Girl at heart)
What I’m Making
I have been craving Negronis. Not sure why. I maintain the supremacy of my house recipe.
I’ve also been doing “quick shake” cocktails where I add the base in with a bit of the WithCo mixers I mentioned last time, shake with ice, and then don’t strain out - just pour into the glass. Good way to very quickly get some silky mouthfeel, especially if there’s no fresh juice involved that really needs the strain.
If February/March was tonic season, April was ginger beer season. Still working through a big pack of Fever Tree from Costco, but like sparkling water there’s a lot more in the category worth exploring!
Good Reads From Drinks World
Derek Brown’s argument for labeling alcoholic products is compelling. It’s really surprising that no major country requires this. Though the cost addition here would be significant, and not sure the industry can really handle that any time soon…
50 Best just put out their North America list, and it appears to be a good one. Though I’m frankly shocked that, having been to many hundreds of bars on this continent, the highest-rated I’ve been to seems to be The Doctor’s Office in Seattle at #76. It’s a great spot! But, I need to cross more off… Shoutout to local standout Highball for making the list at #97!
Target put wine in a paper bottle. I’ve done some professional work with packaging companies recently, but this one surprised me. No idea if the wine is any good, but given their scale I expect we’ll see more of this in not too long.
Non-Drinks Stuff I Enjoyed
The Masters is (usually) right around my birthday, so I’ve started really building that positive association. When Tiger won on my birthday in 2019, I thought that might be my golf-watching highlight. Not even close. I cried when Rory won this year. In many ways, I feel as attached to him as any other athlete. We’re a similar age, I never really liked his shtick when I was younger (and didn’t really like my own, either), and then life got really real for him in a way I could appreciate. To see him overcome what has to be the largest monkey on anyone’s back and come out the other side was truly awesome. This stream-of-consciousness summary from Kyle Porter does a good job capturing some of my feelings, too.
The Wrexham story is similar in some ways, at a much larger scale. There are lots of problems with money is sports. Much of the soul feels as if it’s being stolen. But the Wrexham story is a good one and gives hope that it can be done right.
“How luxury cars, $500,000 bar tabs and a mysterious kidnapping attempt helped investigators unravel the heist of a lifetime.” What a lede. What a world…
Just discovered this song and can’t get enough. Not really a fan (basically out of ignorance) of either artist individually, but what a collab.