Getting together with friends for a cocktail party is pretty great – but even better if your guests include, say, authors and experts who want to talk about their work, a chef who whips up some very sophisticated morsels, and a terrific mixologist to make the drinks. That is the concept behind Fireside Cocktails by The Coterie. Meeting once a month at Fathom Creative (and, really, I can only dream of having a living room as chic as their second-floor gallery/event space), these events combine some of my very favorite things – intriguing conversation and tasty drinks.
I attended February’s event, where Eric Weiner discussed his most recent book, Man Seeks God: My Flirtations with the Divine. Between his presentations (broken into segments, with time for mingling, chatting, and drinking between), conversations were stimulated – both in provocation and lubrication – by cocktails prepared by mixologist Jon Harris. My favorite of these, taking its name from a phrase in Mr. Weiner’s book, was called “Tonic for Everyday Neuroses.”
Obviously something I need in my life, the idea behind this tonic was to combine several ingredients reputed to have calming qualities – namely lavender, hops, and… well, I am not sure gin has historically been credited with homeopathic properties, but I think it might as well. The lavender came in the form of lavender bitters, and the hops from a hearty float of Bell’s Two Hearted Ale, poured atop the gin and lime juice. The drink was very pleasant – and apparently worked at calming my nerves, because I did do quite a bit of chatting with strangers that evening which my friends will tell you, is rather outside my normally-shy nature. Curing my neuroses, however, might require a few more.
Thanks you so much for recommending our site to your studentsLouise, Youth Librarian, Manly Library