Whenever I entertain, my rule of thumb is to have an option for everyone. Luckily when it comes to drinks, a few staples can be very versatile!
Before a party, I want to make sure the bar is stocked. If it’s running dry, the size of the party helps determine my shopping list.
If you’re simply having a pregame or cocktail party, on average you can expect 3-4 drinks per person. When food is involved, typically guests may have a drink or two before the meal (whether a mixed drink or glass of wine), maybe another 1 or 2 while they eat, and after that many you might expect a round or 2 of shots afterwards.
If I’m stocking up from scratch, this is what my shopping list might look like:
One (or two) 750 ml bottle of whiskey
Jack Daniels is pretty universal as a mixer
Crown Royal or Bulleit work well in cocktails
One 750 ml or 1.5 ml bottle of vodka
Absolut or Ketel One typically work (I’m not big on vodka)
One 750 ml bottle of gin
(Depending how much you and your friends like gin, a 375 ml bottle might do)
One 375 ml bottle of rum
One 375 ml bottle of tequila
Two bottle of red wine
Personally I like to have a Cabernet Sauvignon and a Malbec on hand.
Two bottles of white wine
Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay I think are the most universal
A case of good ol’ domestic beer
A six-pack of craft beer or seasonal
*Seasonally/Per Occasion* 2 bottles of champagne or a seasonal liqueur (aka Bailey’s)
That’s a wide selection that basically covers every palate. When it comes to mixers, you can’t go wrong with coke, tonic, ginger ale, and some sort of juice mixer (orange and cranberry are classics)
Root beer works well as a mixer, too. Mango juice (typically a more pureed consistency) works well if you’re making frozen margaritas.
If you want to serve a more special cocktail, below you’ll find some very easy takes on simple classics with a slight, memorable variation:
Champagne & St. Germain
Flute of champagne or white wine
St. Germain elderflower liqueur
Pour 1.5 oz of St. Germain elderflower liqueur into a flute of champagne or a sparkling white wine (I like Martini & Rossi’s Asti Spumante). The St. Germain adds an extra sweetness with fruity notes like pear and citrus.
The liqueur itself is very sweet, so mix it with a drier wine or a brut champagne/cava if you prefer.
La Croix sparkling water (I prefer the lime or lemon flavors)
Lime wedge
In a tall glass filled with ice, pour the gin followed by a can of La Croix sparkling water. For a classic taste, stick with the lime flavor, though the other fruit flavors might offer interesting variations. Squeeze in some lime juice and stir well.
How many articles do you come across promising a better, faster, stronger (whoops, Kanye distraction), stabler, hotter, more exciting love life?
You’ve seen them: A New York Times feature by a couple’s therapist. A salacious Cosmo how-to with a “sexpert’s” commentary. A mommy blog from Pinterest on how to be a good wife or girlfriend. They’ve all been in your Newsfeed at one point, and they’re always sharing tips to improve your romantic life.
What about being a good friend? Not nearly as attention-grabbing. But I think it warrants the same spot, if not higher, on our priority list.
Why? (If you’re really asking, this especially applies you)
Think of the people in your snapchat list who get the unflattering selfies. The ones who witnessed your strangest drunk antics in college, were actively responsible for them, and kindly filled you in on your tomfoolery the next morning. The herd that you round up for brunches, Netflix marathons, nights out, nights in, and your biggest life events. Don’t you think they deserve your best efforts too?
Life has led me to conclude two rules for bettering my friendships, no matter what stage they’re in. Never forget these simple steps (that conveniently rhyme): Give a shit. Be considerate.
Give a
It’s kind of an all-encompassing term, I know. But the whole point is two-fold: first, have enough self-reflection in your life to really appreciate your friends. Take a step back and be amazed. The moment you realize how lucky you are, your actions will naturally reflect that.
Secondly, actively use your words and actions to make your friends feel wanted. The world is full of enough rejection, but friendship is acceptance, guaranteed.
So when your friends show you who they are, in the form of sharing a personal anecdote or the Harry Potter fan fiction they wrote in 8th grade: give a shit.
When they’re hitting a rough patch and need advice: give a shit.
Even if they choose to stay mum on what’s going on: give a shit.
When they’ve accomplished a milestone, whether they finished grad school or the enormous breakfast burrito: give a shit.
It’s not hard to do. Even if you can’t put it into words, most of the time you don’t even need to.
Me and the gang.
Be considerate.
"That's the thing about friendship. It's a lot rarer than love, because there's nothing in it for anybody." -Owen Wilson, You Are Here
It’s easy to underestimate the impact your actions have on other people. You never know if a small surprise made someone’s day, or whether your carelessness deeply hurt somebody. Putting a little more thought and intention into your actions can go a long way in establishing trust and bonding between you and your friends.
The beautiful thing about thoughtfulness is that it often inspires someone to reciprocate in appreciation. Do something nice, your friends will likely do something nice back, and you’ve set off a great spiral of kindness!
Kind gestures aside, just be accountable.
Make your friends a priority. Make time in your day to see them. You probably dedicate 10 hours of your day to work and hopefully 6-8 hours of your night to sleep. In the precious windows in between, it’s not hard to grab a drink or lie comatose on the couch for 2 hours watching Youtube in good company.
I’ve heeded a lot of advice from the internet. Nuggets like, “The average person will spend 229,961 hours, or a third of their life, sleeping. That’s why investing in a quality mattress is important!” Or how to use tape or a business card to get the perfect cat-eye. Most of these tips showed me how to make my life more efficient.
Relationship articles, too, have provided quite an array of advice (that mostly I take with a grain of salt.) Most have to do with what I have to do to attract someone, amuse them, encourage them, and basically keep them around. Most seem to be long to-do lists that establish strange rituals and rules which ultimately just make me question my instincts and sanity.
So let this be my contribution of sage internet advice that focuses on improving your satisfaction and quality of life:
Spring had definitely arrived in Barcelona by mid March. (By contrast, spring tends to still debate her arrival in Chicago around that time). By then I was well familiar with every winding alley of the Barri Gòtic, decided I preferred Santa Maria del Mar over the Barcelona Cathedral, and established a cafe con leche routine at a modern cafe. Of course, such a taxing lifestyle sometimes requires one to escape for a bit. Hence I signed up for a weekend tour of the Costa Brava.
Girona
The tour first brought us to Girona, a city just over 60 miles outside of Barcelona. It was quiet, clean, and colorful. The entire time I was there, I couldn’t quite figure out the city’s character; it was complex. On the one hand, there were neat, colorful row-houses lining the Onyar river. Well kept and pristine, strangely bright yet almost sterile. (I suppose I was a used to a bit more crumble in my buildings, surrounded by 19th century facades in Barcelona.)
But contrasting these square houses with minimalist facades and modern lines were the city’s old fort, the breathtaking Sant Pere de Galligants Benedictine church, and the Jewish Quarter. I’ve never seen a more perfect embodiment of the term “centuries collide.” That’s not to say I didn’t enjoy Girona. But I left still uncertain of the impression it left on me.
Teatre-Museu Dalí
Next on the trip, and really the selling point for most participants, was the city of Figueres. Birthplace of Salvador Dalí, we had heard tales of wonder, amusement, and confusion from visitors of his famous Theatre-Museum. Though the surroundings are sleepy and slow, the museum is unquestionably Dalí. Bright red and crowned with eggs, the entrance both foreshadows (yet reveals nothing) of the spectacles that await inside.
Some of Dalí’s most famous works are displayed inside, including Port Alguer (1924) and the portrait of his wife, Galarina (1944–45).
I’m having a fiery internal debate about whether to include more pictures from the museum. On the one hand, I want to share what an incredible, eccentric experience it was. On the other, I don’t want to ruin the surprise for future visitors! Part of the fun and wonder was really not having any expectations for what you’d see next. And how could you? This is Dalí we’re talking about!
Ever the entertainer, even his museum’s architecture can’t be left untouched by his art. Thought provoking images and details are everywhere. Even if one doesn’t “get” Surrealism (I suppose it isn’t a movement that aimed to be understood, but rather is defined by non sequitur… but I digress!), visitors are really in for a treat!
After a stimulating, laughter-filled afternoon at the museum, the group recharged on some cortados and sandwiches before loading back onto the bus to Cadaques.
I really thought the best was over; what I had aimed to see on this trip I saw, and the rest would just be a relaxing blur. But to this day I remember the remainder of the itinerary more vividly than anything else!
Cadaques was the perfect combination of warm and windy when we stepped off the bus. White, Mediterranean houses lined uneven cobblestone roads. The smell of the sea mixed with the aromas of freshly blooming spring flowers. We took deep breaths at Port Lligat, too tired by the journey to listen to all the biographical details of Dalí’s life there, nevertheless still in awe of the view.
Heaven on Earth: Port Lligat, Cadaques
After a few moments of sitting in the sand to regain our energy, the tour group (I should mention there were only about 15 or so of us) wandered into the the center of Cadaques and — after much indecision — picked a restaurant for dinner. We sat in a tree-lined sun room at a long table, sharing countless carafes of red wine and tasting local seafood. The meal was long and filled with vibrant conversation (probably with the help of the wine.)
The sun set on Cadaques that day, and I felt contentment like I never had before in my life. The soothing lapping of the sea, the stillness of the streets, and the company of fellow travelers. I wished the moment could last forever.
We finished up the trip in Coillure, France. On our way, we stopped by a small, independent museum in La Jonquera dedicated to the Spanish Civil War, particularly the Republican exile. The Museu Memorial de l’Exili (MUME), though small, clearly had a strong donor base and many public grants from the Generalitat de Catalunya. Filled with high-tech exhibitions, digitized archives and highly interactive films and digital artifacts, the museum commemorated the harsh, often fatal conditions of refugees forced into exile in France. A somber but important stop, the museum shed light on many details about the Spanish Civil War I was confused about (but too worried to ask a local about such a sensitive subject). The Spanish Civil War certainly still exists in the cultural memory of Spain; the same way WWII was such a fundamental experience for my own grandparents in Poland, their siblings in France, and older generations of my family. There’s a huge difference between learning about war through a textbook and witnessing through storytelling the lives it affected, the faces of its victims. The MUME certainly gave me a new perspective on that era of Spanish history.
Our last stop of the trip was just past the French border in Coillure, France. Another sleepy port town, it was the definition of quaint.
Coillure, France
Small fisherman’s boats would gently rock in the water, and the sun shone so brightly over that little town. Besides the aesthetic beauty, Coillure also had the most wonderful savory crepes, unforgettable violet gelato, and small, old-fashioned violet and lavender hard candies I remembered from my childhood. It was absolute bliss!
It’s impossible for me to decide which part of the trip was my favorite. In its entirety, my Costa Brava weekend was both busy yet relaxing; a packed itinerary of the most tranquil destinations.
If you are ever in Barcelona and want a change of scenery from the hustle and bustle, take a day trip around Costa Brava! You will experience such peace and calm, you’ll never forget it.
TRAVEL LOVER, HISTORY NERD 