I spent the weekend in New Orleans with good friends, and had a nice time. We enjoyed a few of the best meals of the year (especially Fritai), watched live music, and enjoyed the fine company.
One of the highlights was our stop by Euclid Records. My friend claims it is one of the best record shops in the world, and after combing through the trove of soul, funk, and rock and roll, alongside New Orleans artists of all genres, I believe it. The visit was worth the flight alone.
As for the new sodas, you asked last week what I hoped to get out of making them, and the answer is similar to what I’ve heard you say about building the amaro leisure sodas — to make the kind of beverage that I wanted to drink all the time and hadn’t yet seen in the world. A drink that stood on its own and paired well with food, that one could reach for at a celebration or in the middle of an afternoon work slump.
And after a week of mulling over it, I’m still not quite sure how to answer the second question you asked — how do you want to celebrate? Last year at this time, it was hard to imagine what the future would look like in a day, week, or month ahead. My partner and I both live far from our families, and last year we celebrated the holiday season together in our home for the first time — video-chatting with our loved ones without knowing when or if we would be able to see them again in person.
This year I have been so grateful for our chance to reconnect, and for the opportunities that 2021 has held for us to try to build a way forward, amidst the uncertainty. I’m having a hard time separating the work threads from all of the rest. I want to celebrate all of it. Preferably by overindulging over the next couple of holidays, with the people that mean the most (in person and by video!).
And with that, let’s talk next week when we are both older and wiser.
In leisure,
Erica
Erica