Imbibe’s Tasting Notes Enewsletter, 12.08.20

We dug the lights and ornaments out of the closet this past weekend, and the cat’s already doing daily battle with the Christmas tree. This has happened in my household every December for a long time now (the cats may have changed over the years, but they’ve shared a vendetta for the tree), and with any luck and hope (knock wood), it’ll continue the same way for many more.

So many holiday traditions stem from such simple routines. Other traditions we’ve picked up over the years? Starting each day with the warm aroma of a holiday-blend coffee from a favorite roaster (this morning’s cup was Blue Bottle’s Winter Blooms); welcoming the evening with the crisp hiss of a popping cap as I open a holiday beer; and weighing whether I should go hot or cold with the season’s decadence, via a Tom & Jerry or a cup of eggnog. 

This year’s traditions need to be tinkered with a little, though. We’re skipping the holiday parties and cocktail hours, or moving them to Zoom to best keep everyone safe. I’m also badly missing my visits to favorite bars for a cocktail, conversation, and a hug or handshake with friends. While I’m usually trundling through an airport in December, navigating around holiday travelers and families as I wrap up my last work trip of the year, for 2020, my last work trip was in early March, and I looked wistfully at my suitcase in the closet the other day as I took down the holiday decorations.

This is all as it should be. This year’s holidays require flexibility, but change can make the festivities special in their own way. Instead of a traditional eggnog, maybe go with a dairy-free version, or support a local bar participating in the worldwide Miracle pop-up event by picking up a bottle of Jingle Balls Eggnog to take home. Grab some blankets and move the household holiday celebration outside this year, keeping warm with a classic Tom & Jerry (served in vintage bowls & mugs like the ones Wayne Curtis wrote about for the magazine), or perhaps a rum-rich Bald Mountain from Amor y Amargo in New York City, the recipe for which Sother Teague shared with us on this week’s episode of Radio Imbibe.

It’s a different kind of holiday this year, but we have plenty of ways to stay festive. Check out our recipes and articles at imbibemagazine.com for more ideas (and for gift suggestions for the imbibers on your list), and keep up with us on Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, and Facebook for day-to-day insights into the world of drinks. Be sure to follow Radio Imbibe on your favorite podcast platform, and if you’re not already a subscriber to the magazine, then let’s start 2021 right—click here to subscribe; throughout this month, $2 of every subscription goes to Another Round Another Rally to help hospitality workers in need.

It hasn’t been an easy year, but we’re looking forward to better days ahead. Have a safe, happy, and healthy holiday season.