China Galore!

You might wonder what difference can a plate make? Excellent question! Setting a table with imagination — think art installation, think many patterns of plates — may cause all manner of things to happen. Empires have risen and fallen around the dinner table. We ourselves might not be able to mend the world but we can tidy up our corner of it. Dinner by dinner we make life worth living for ourselves and others. One way is by having fun setting the table.

An opportunity has arisen to collect bits and pieces, stacks and sets, china considered best in the world; Richard Ginoi, Haviland, Royal Crown Derby, Mottehedah, Herend, Gien. Charleston’s finest wedding and gift store shut down resulting in a porcelain treasure trove. The owner of Vieuxtemps is selling off a myriad of marvels at a discount. If you relish adding zing to your dinners do something lickety-split. (This post is not sponsored!)

A single dinner plate or a set of twelve is not a big investment but an unremitting delight. Collecting these things pays dividends over and over and over, not in interest payments but in creating settings that facilitate interesting conversations and connections.

Owning multiple sets gives you tools and options to continually create unique settings. Unify the table according to your own rules. Choose plates with a similar feature from different sets, such as all rims, or medallions, or in the same color way. Have fun finding out who notices your roast chicken served on different color bird plates. Design useful centerpieces, lining chargers down the center of the table and topped with food, like serving platters. Fill wide rimmed tea cups with soup, for a first course. Collect dozens of different tea cups to host an annual mother daughter holiday tea party.  

Royal Crown Derby bird plates

Herend tea cups

Different patterns, different chargers...

Different makes (Haviland & Ginori) same color way

Now don’t get me wrong. There is a certain charm to our grandmother’s and great grandmother’s match-y match-y dining tables — do remember that their handbags and shoes, coats and hats, nail and lipstick matched too. That was the way it was. Now we live in a diverse society free to express many moods, create endless experiences and introduce all kinds of people to each other, right from our dining tables. Why not do it in the most imaginative way possible to create a scene and make things of consequence occur at and from your table?

Consider:

- A set of six different color bird plates from ultra-luxury Royal Crown Derby.

- Sets of Herend tea cups and saucers to mix and match for hosting mother daughter holiday tea parties on an afternoon between Christmas and the New Year.

- Six or twelve plain and patterned chargers to mix plus use as serving platters.

- Sets of plates of one make but with different patterns and color ways that work together.

- Sets with central medallions.

For more information:

Email info@vieuxtemps.net

DM via Instagram @UndertheFiggTree

'The World Needs Music' for VIE September 2021

“Our souls need music. Musicians need to perform. Bingo! We need each other. After the enactment of Covid restrictions in March 2020, I started a weekly cocktail class to satisfy both needs. What cemented connections and transformed the experience was music, which is perhaps the most transcendent art form of all.

Sip with Suzanne began as a weekly half-hour cocktail class experiment — low risk and low investment. Sixty drinks later, what’s come out of it? A community of new friends who feel connected to others even though they are scattered around the world. It’s something for those isolated at home to look forward to. But most importantly, Sip gave us weeks and weeks of live music. World-class musician Wycliffe Gordon brought his curated performances to the party, sparking immediate joy and leaving ripples of good vibes for days to come.”

Read more about keeping the blues at bay with a weekly cocktail and live musical performance HERE in VIE Magazine!

'Summer Sparklers' for J. McLaughlin

Credit: Niki Nero Photography

“The most interesting cocktails for summer, whether you have a pool or not, have some effervescence which relates to the sparkling water filling the pool or the ocean, near or far. Champagne, or any sparkling wine, adds pure magic to a cocktail. You might call it bubbles, I might say dryness. But the wisest of us all know Champagne sprinkles a fairy dust of magic.

“There are a few things to think about when choosing a house cocktail. We do not want a ‘normal’ drink available anywhere and everywhere. Instead try something people might not have tried. Leave complicated cocktails to mixologists. Your home is not a bar. You must be able to make repeat versions; meaning a first drink, possibly a second, and if the occasion arises for a third, you will be able to walk up a flight of stairs and mix another….”

 Read more & find 3 recipes for easy, breezy Poolside Cocktails, all with Champagne (or Prosecco if you’d prefer), via J. McLaughlin’s newsletter/blog HERE!

'Half a Dozen Summer Party Tips' for J. McLaughlin

“The #1 tip concerns conversations because we haven’t been face to face in so long! Just thinking about it sparks excitement, which gets energy flowing and makes party planning extra pleasurable. 

Suzanne and a guest converse at the debut of our collaboration with J. McLaughlin…

[Credit: Niki Nero Photography]

Let’s Talk
Consider possible party talk even before your event. Conversation starters can range from fun and frivolous (like showing off your matching napkins and dress) to deep dives straight for the heart of the matter. Think about each guest and what might be going on in their life so that you can ask pertinent questions, showing that they have been on your mind and that you care for them. Conversations which easily shift from light to meaningful are unforgettable. Simply skimming the surface leaves an empty feeling later. To more easily dive deep, start shallow as a means of getting there. Pointing out your matchy matchy napkins and dress will ignite laughter and spark interesting talk.…”

Read the rest of Suzanne’s party tips and find our recipe for a perfect French 75 via J. McLaughlin’s blog HERE!

A Summer Night's Dream with J. McLaughlin

Credit: Mark Staff Photography

‘“Sparkling summer cocktails in chilled glasses, your closest friends mingling amongst dragonflies and bite-sized hor’s d'oeuvres, farmer’s market blooms that match your botanical print dress, that match your napkins, that somehow magically match your notecards as well.”

A recipe connoisseur, author, and all-around party genius— when Pollak mentioned to J.McLaughlin Creative Director and Co-founder Kevin McLaughlin that she wished she had a dress that matched her fête essentials, we knew we had to make it come true…’

Now you can shop J. McLaughlin’s dreamy new collaboration with Suzanne HERE, and read all about last night’s launch party HERE (both via the J. McLaughlin blog!)

'The Art of the House Drink' for VIE June 2021

Serve your House Drink in any vessel you choose! (Credit: CR Fashion Book)

“I am a fan of having a house drink and a go-to menu until they’re fully mastered at every step: cooking, mixing, and presentation. Then when the excitement has evaporated or the season has changed, the time comes to move to new terrains. This steady progression of building culinary and cocktail house signatures adds to your skills through the decades. During the learning period, the practice provides stability, predictability, and comfort to those you feed and water, something guests look forward to when invited. Then, to keep you and yours on your toes, choose new treats.

In that vein, I propose settling upon a house cocktail for a while.…”

Learn how (and why, and when) to serve up a variety of champagne cocktails while entertaining at home, in the latest issue of VIE Magazine HERE!

RIP Tony Hendra

Sometimes you are lucky enough to find a friend who is one of the wonders of the world, a person who changes your life. These people might be complicated and even difficult at times, but it doesn’t matter because you don’t live with them. You just get to enjoy the person’s fabulousness, their intellect, their humor, their care. They see the real you.

I’ve been super blessed to have two once-in-a-lifetime friends like this, now both passed away. The priest Father William Ralston I have missed every day for twenty years. The other friend, Tony Hendra, died this past week. These men are irreplaceable spirits. 

Tony Hendra, actor in Spinal Tap, bestselling author of Father Joe, was an extraordinary home chef, funny to the point of making people’s ribs hurt and minds sharper, with the largest and softest heart. I find anyone who has been through tragedy transforms into a person who understands at a different level. 

Most of all, Tony was my friend. He called me Mrs. P. and I called him Mr. T. Tony had ideas for the Charleston Academy which we worked on together. Just the fact that Tony saw potential in the Academy confirmed to me that my effort and energy put into the business was worthwhile, time well spent. 

Tony was my teacher. He showed me how to sharpen and store knives, skin a deer, coil and cook merguez, dance by the side of the pool, cleave guinea hen breasts, enjoy life! He was a consummate host and a deft culinarian. Tony’s love language was feeding his family. Then, he was a master at work, and the best part was Tony was a home cook through and through.

May you rest in peace my dear friend. 

"Open Up and Connect" for Lux Lifestyle Magazine

Credit: Mark Staff Photography

“Going from formal to informal is a breeze for Pollak who once owned 300 place settings. I pressed for more of her secrets to outdoor entertaining with pizazz. Below are some of the helpful hints I gleaned during our talk:

• Be short and sweet. Just one hour can be a lovely drop-in with cocktails and small plates.

• Help your guests feel you hospitality outside; if you are hosting by a fire pit, place cozy blankets or shawls on the seats.

• Fire in any form creates a sense of warmth, a phenomenon since the prehistoric times. Use it! A fire pit, fire ring, etc., in the Spring, when weather might not be so welcoming outside, will light the night.”

Read the rest of of “Open Up and Connect: Fresh Air Entertaining Tips with Suzanne Pollak” in the latest issue of East Coast LUX Lifestyle Magazine (pages 80-84) HERE!

The White Russian Revisited

Credit: Niki Nero Photography

Just because I am wearing a chinchilla-collared bathrobe, don’t let your mind wander to Russian princes, czars or Doctor Zhivago. No! It’s The Big Lebowski we must turn our minds to now, wherein the bathrobe-wearing Dude pours himself nine White Russians as naturally as I pour eight glasses of water. As the Dude put it so eloquently, “New sh*t has come to light.”

The Dude is the guy who resurrected the cocktail from sixty years in the dustbin. The White Russian saw a massive revival in 1998 thanks to the Coen brothers’ classic The Big Lebowski. Because of that movie, it’s kind of fun and silly, delightful and decadent to wear a bathrobe while sipping this drink.

I sometimes think the White Russian is a secret shame drink. Ordering one could age you forty years just by association. They might be perfect for alcoholics because they are easy on the stomach and then there’s the bathrobe thing. (Any alcohol drunk while wearing a bathrobe falls into the category of secret shame, don’t you think?) It’s an ironic, sad sort of drink — a little bit of a Best Enjoyed Alone cocktail. It’s hard to take the White Russian seriously. It’s not a drink you would normally order out, perhaps a little embarrassing but something you might actually enjoy, if only with your closest friends. 

But I like it. I am not ashamed to admit that last night I happily ate thick salty slices of rare rib eye and drank a White Russian to go with it. Someone has to do the cocktail research! My body craved fat and what better to satisfies that than ribeyes and cream? What would the mother in me, the fifteen- or twenty-years-ago me have said about her future behavior? Nothing good, that’s for sure. I must be letting myself go to seed. Au contraire! I can assure old judge-y me that I am having the greatest time of my life now, eating fatty steak and drinking a (shameful) drink.  It’s not an every night occurrence, more like once a year. Combining vodka, Kahlúa, cream, and serving it on the rocks creates a delicious alternative to adult milkshakes. What’s wrong with that?

The White Russian is due for a status upgrade, less shameful, less secret, less lonely.  It’s a drink that has the heft to stand in for dessert, a liquid in lieu of cake or pie. Less caffeine than a piece of chocolate cake, less caloric than a slice of pie...it’s got that perfect after-dinner decadence feeling.

Time for geography. There is a little town in Colorado called Oak Creek whose Mayor, Cargo Rodman, drank White Russians like the Dude, as in all day long. In that town the White Russian was renamed Mayor’s Milk.

And now history! A version of the drink appeared in the 1930 edition of The Savoy Cocktail Book by Harry Craddock under the name the Russian, made with vodka, gin and crème de cacao. The Russian Bear was made with vodka, crème de cacao and cream. Crème de cacao is a sweet vanilla-flavored liqueur. The Black Russian is vodka and coffee liqueur, two parts vodka to one part coffee liqueur. The White Russian came about in the ’60s when someone somewhere added a bit of cream to the Black Russian. (Who added cream to a Black Russian to make it white? No one knows!) None of these drinks are Russian in origin. It’s the vodka part that ties them to Russia.

Original recipe was equal parts vodka, Kahlúa, and cream. The Dude made his with two parts vodka, one part Kahlúa, and one part cream. Not as good as the original, I can assure you. I tested both last night. However both are rich, velvety, and go down smooth. I do want to point out that one is enough. 

Cream… When making a White Russian choose heavy cream. Half-and-half can work but why bother? This is not a drink for anyone faint of heart, health conscious, avoiding fat in the diet. And know that milk produces a thin drink. Have a seltzer instead! You’re aiming for decadence. The difference between heavy cream and whipping cream is this: heavy cream has 36 percent fat, whipping cream 30 percent; half-and-half, equal parts milk and cream, has 10 to 18 percent fat. Not enough heft for this drink. 

Kahlúa is a coffee liqueur made in Mexico since 1936, with rum, sugar, and coffee. A bottle takes up to seven years to produce, due to growing and harvesting coffee beans. In the ‘60s, Kahlúa was led by an an all women team. Quite unusual back in the day. Another fun fact? February 27 is National Kahlúa Day. Now you’ll know what to do with that bottle languishing in the back of your bar this Saturday night! It’s just waiting to be opened and appreciated… 

Remember you can use Kahlúa to make more than a White Russian. Try adding a shot to brownies, drizzle on ice cream sundaes, give chocolate cake batter a kick in the pants, whip into your cheesecake. This stuff is asking for more of your time and attention!

CHOICE ONE - 1+1+1 = perfect. 1 PART KAHLÚA, 1 PART ABSOLUT VODKA, 1 PART HEAVY CREAM.  

CHOICE TWO - The way it’s made in the movie. 2 ounces vodka, 1 ounce Kahlúa, 3 teaspoons each of cream and milk.

EITHER CHOICE - Fill a rocks glass with ice cubes. Add Kahlúa and vodka, then pour in the cream layer. 

OR for a milk shake-y feeling, shake with ice and strain over more ice.

Cheers!

"A Cozy Cocktail with Presidential Panache" for Garden & Gun

Credit: Niki Nero Photography

“In a nod to those who helped shape America—especially George Washington—Pollak created the Founding Father, a wintertime riff on a classic Remember the Maine cocktail, which typically includes some combination of rye whiskey, vermouth, absinthe, and cherry liqueur. After Washington’s second term in office, he built a distillery at Mount Vernon, setting up the whole supply chain on the grounds: His enslaved laborers grew and harvested the grains, ground the flour in the on-site grist mill, and converted the grains to whiskey, Pollak explains, resulting in about 10,000 gallons a year.”

Read the rest and find Suzanne’s perfect President’s Day cocktail recipe online via Garden & Gun!

Winter 2021 - Week Two!

Credit: Niki Nero Photography

Here’s what we learned this past week:

• French Onion Soup - How many onions do you need? So many that it looks like too many. Not to worry! They will shrink like your favorite dress washed in hot water, to 1/8th of their total volume. Slow cooked onions are not shrinking violets, they will taste extraordinary. They do not need to be cooked to a deep mahogany brown. You can but be careful towards the end so you don’t burn the caramelized onions. The flavor comes when the onions turn golden brown, even pale golden is delicious. Golden brown is the sweet spot. 

• Setting the Table - What didn't we learn from our international guest teacher, Victoria de la Maza? She covered it all: where to sit, who & when to sit them, when to drink, what to bring (or not to bring) as a hostess gift, how to deal with allergies, high heels, even cooking dresses! The questions varied. Where should the host (a participant from Bangkok) have sat the Duke and Duchess when he entertained them in England? As a guest, should you tell your host all the things you are allergic to, or simply bring your own food? How to shut someone down who spouts off about politics, sex or religion? Victoria knew all the answers! 

• Gumbo - Gumbo is a complex, not too spicy, spectacular dinner party food. Food with personality is like an invisible dinner guest, one who adds substance and fun, giving people something to talk about without being high maintenance. The host does not have to attend to the gumbo once guests arrive. While you chat with guests in the other room, the gumbo is wafting through with her perfume of many flavors subtly creating a tasty, anticipatory vibe.  Once ladled in bowls she demands to be center stage. This particular gumbo can handle being the center of attention just like Lady Gaga with that fabulous dove brooch on Wednesday.

Here’s what students had to say:

• “Amazing fun to be with so many interesting people from all over…equally amazing to enjoy the process with anticipation for my executing later when my schedule is not slammed as is just now.”

• Your classes inspire me to cook out of my comfort zone.”

• “Thank you for another fabulous class. I am really loving learning how to cook like a chef. We had the gumbo for dinner and it was DELICIOUS. I can't wait for COVID to pass so I can have a dinner party and serve this. Both you and your classes are AMAZING. I don't know if I enjoy your personality or the class itself more.”

• “It was a momentous hour. I learned SO much. I have never poached a whole chicken and I can’t believe the flavor of the broth after only an hour. Pulling the meat off the bones feels like what a ‘real chef’ does!”

And here’s on the front burner for next week:

• TUES. - Lebanese Lentil Soup (from a fabulous expert guest teacher, Youmna Squalli, born and raised in Tripoli, Lebanon.)

• WEDS. - Dinner Party Strategy

• THUR. - Bolognese 

Reserve your spot HERE!

Milk Punch

For your tiny holiday party, we suggest starting with a classic Milk Punch!

Credit: Niki Nero Photography

Milk Punch was first recorded William Sacheverell’s 1688 travelogue from the Scottish isle of Iona. The earliest written recipe for it appeared in a 1711 cookbook; then there was Benjamin Franklin in 1763 making his clarified milk punch with brandy and lemon added to hot milk. (Clarified milk punch is a glass of translucent and elegant liquid, fantastic indeed but time consuming to make. For now, we bring you the easier milky version.)

Milk punch reached the height of popularity in the middle of the 18th century. Queen Victoria issued a royal warrant in 1838 to Nathaniel Whisson as "purveyors of milk punch to Her Majesty”. A different sort of Queen, in a different era, the 20th C. Queen Mother used to tell her butlers, “You old Queens, get this old Queen a drink!” Yet another Queen by the name of Cleopatra supposedly bathed in the white stuff. Did she do that right before Marc Anthony ravaged her? Was milk bath the magic that drew Caesar into her web?

In today’s world, milk punch has made a comeback. This year in particular is perfect for milk punch, one reason being it isn’t really meant for a punch bowl. A bowl is just too much milk punch, unless you are bathing the baby. You cannot, must not, drink this stuff all night long. Milk punch is for making one or two at a time, shaking each batch to get that foamy froth. They are not alcoholic lattes but could be mistaken for one! 

Another reason milk punch is the right beverage for this year: comfort and familiarity. All of us started life with our mother’s milk, or from a bottle. Milk may bring a feeling of safety and security. Yet milk punch is different enough to be fascinating and these juxtaposing characteristics set the stage for guests to feel safe and open up. There is something about milk punch helping to get us there, being our first beverage and all that.  

Milk punch gives a sheen to a holiday party, however small that party might be. I entertained a tiny group on Saturday night. We started out with milk punch cocktails, then we switched to our regular drinks, and the secrets started to spill. Wouldn’t you like to know what was revealed? Sorry, I am a vault. But I can share that milk punch set the stage.  

As cocktails have grown more fabulist, hyper intellectual, or just plain weird over the last 15 years, bartenders worth their muster feel they must create, like a professor trying to achieve tenure, so they mix new drinks with crazy ingredients and silly names. Sometimes we long for plain and normal, a classic that has stood the test of time, vestige of good old days, maybe even the days of 1688 or 1711. Since our old world is utterly changed, a new one struggling to be born, milk punch fits the times. 

The other stuff that turns milk into punch: Cognac or bourbon. Simple syrup. Nutmeg. 

COGNAC

Victor Hugo called cognac the “liquor of the gods”. Cognac is a symbol of French luxury, distilled twice, between October 1 and March 31. Cognac is brandy but not all brandy is cognac. Got that?

BOURBON

We Southerners know all about bourbon, especially in Charleston, and just ‘cause you may be from Kentucky doesn’t make you a world expert on the big brown liquor. Bourbon is made from at least 51% corn, but rye and barley make it more beautiful. 

SYRUP 

In order to incorporate sugar into a drink, it needs to be dissolved first or you’ll end up with a sandy mess (an effect only desired in mint juleps — come back this spring to learn more!).

Simple syrup is simply made by pouring equal parts water and sugar into a saucepan. 1 : 1. The following numbers are easy too, our favorite kind of math at the Academy. Cook over medium heat for 3 minutes until sugar dissolves. Store for up to 2 weeks in the refrigerator or 6 months in the freezer. Please don’t let us hear about any of you buying a bottle of simple syrup you didn’t make yourself. You might end up sitting with the dunce hat in our corner.

NUTMEG 

Why does McCormick pack 12 spheres of nutmeg in a bottle where one nutmeg by itself lasts several years? Dear Mr. McCormick: Not one of us needs jars of spice this size for anything at home. Spices lose their essence before we use a quarter of the bottle. 

Nutmeg grows on 40' trees in Indonesia, French Guiana and India. The fruit looks like an apricot. The pit inside is nutmeg. For those who want more trivia…the red lace covering the pit is mace. Only one pound of mace can be removed from a hundred pounds of nutmeg. So, there you have it! A useless tip to toss around. 

One more useful factoid to note: nutmeg’s aroma disappears quickly so you must ground it fresh on top of the milk punch. For that you will need a microplane. 

ABOUT PROPORTIONS… 

You do not always have to stick to proportions on recipes, though the Academy preaches you should. When a classic is right, do not mess with it! Find something else to mess with.

However, I messed with many milk punches on Saturday doing my due diligence for this blog. I do not like sweet drinks, but many recipes call for too much, at least for my taste. That’s why I was messing around. And then there were more weighty decisions, such as, bourbon or cognac? How unsweet can a punch be? How much milk does a milk punch need? At least I had my little posse of dinner guests to help me with the big decisions. Milk punch is a lovely appetizer drink. It does a beautiful job of saying: Welcome to my party, and to the holiday season. Let our night begin. 

Ingredients: 

• 1/2 oz simple syrup

• 1.5 milk

• 2 ounce booze 

• nutmeg 

Put in a shaker with ice. Shake, shake, shake until frothy about 20 seconds. Strain in a glass. Garnish with freshly grated nutmeg. Enjoy!

'Generosity Never Sleeps' for VIE November

Remember sharing?

“Imagine if we learned about the power of cultivating generosity? The changes that happen in our brain’s wiring—to the way we think, act, and perhaps design our lives—are astounding once we begin a practice. Generosity is a subject in which we can become more proficient. It may start with self-centeredness, but our capacity grows as we move away from that center towards other more genuine motivations. The movement to selflessness often involves a gradual maturation. It takes time, and we all must begin exactly where we happen to find ourselves at the time.”

Read more about generosity, and how to create a practice of your own, in the latest issue of VIE Magazine HERE…

Sip with Suzanne

Social distancing is no excuse for cutting class or ignoring your liquor cabinets!

Join Dean Pollak every Wednesday at 5:30PM EST via Zoom for a classic cocktail demonstration.

Each week, the Dean covers the history of the classic cocktail, its preparation, ideal snack pairings and an etiquette segment on ‘How Not to Get Sh*t-Faced’. Tomorrow’s drink is the French 75. Learn some WWI and contemporary French war history while making the cocktail…

Sip with Suzanne is free to join. Simply download Zoom and click here.

Less is More

Photo courtesy of Victoria de la Maza

Dinners for two or three have a certain je ne sais quoi about them. Small dinner parties are the ones we can host at the moment. The cozy size has appealed to my entertaining sensibilities for the last decade. I adore them! 

The size is particularly useful for one of our essential needs — connection. When you meet a person you want to get to know better, don’t wait. Go for it! Invite the person for dinner au deux (or three) and deepen the relationship quickly. What’s the worst that can happen? It will either fail to take or become a lifetime thing. The friendship can spark and cement in one night, rather than taking decades to develop. Using your home works better than coffee out or meeting in a restaurant. After giving many hundreds of all size dinner parties, I can attest that some of my deepest and more astonishing friendships came from hosting the smallest ones.  

More positives of the dinner size, so obvious they do not need to be stated but worth repeating anyway: less work up front and afterwards, perfect for last minute plans, costs less. The smaller the dinner the more loose and comfortable you and your guests will feel…less expectations but more opportunities for surprise.

When my friend Dick Jenrette was alive, we had frequent dinners together. At one he asked, Will you do me a favor? Will you dance with me? I said, Of course! He put on “Fever” by Peggy Lee and twirled me in his arms from the bar to the dining room, using the whole space. (People from that generation were taught how to dance so elegantly.) During this little joie de vive I saw a neighbor peeking in the window and could almost see his eyebrows rise in astonishment! I miss my friend with the twinkling eyes and way of connecting like no other. I am thankful for that delightful evening he gave to me. 

Recently, I went to a small dinner party in the midst of Covid and learned something new. Since people are more relaxed, less inclined to bring out the big energy or feel the need to make a lasting impression, the night might end in an unexpected way.  After our host fed us Spanish gazpacho, Turkish moussaka and a Caribbean citrus tart, on the spur of the moment she cued in Italy and played a song by Italian pop singer, Ornella Vanoni, on her iPhone. The song Dettagli moved her to translate the words and dance at the very same time, while the three of us sat transfixed and transformed in front of our tarts. What an ending to a party! But it wasn’t the end. The other guest turned Barry White on her iPhone and announced more babies have been born because of Barry than any other singer. (Quite possibly true!) That night goes down as the most fun dinner in downtown Charleston in decades. It proves that, even during Covid, it’s possible to escape our unknown future with an evening of international dishes and music bringing up past loves, longing and hope, connection to each other and the world.

REMINDER — Sip with Suzanne.

Learn the skills to make classic cocktails for your small dinners AND learn the style and strategy around the drink hour. BTW “drink hour” does not necessarily mean 60 minutes. Learn that fact and other pertinent information each Wednesday from 5:30-6:00 EST.  Zoom in! Or DM us for a calendar invite... 

Cheers to Moms

Hemingway in Cuba…

Do not mistake the daiquiri for a girly drink. The daiquiri was created by manly men. Supposedly an American mining engineer near the coastal town of Daiquiri in Cuba made the first one. Then the popularity spread man to man — from miners to Admirals to the Army Navy Club in DC. The great hunter who turned out to be a fine author but not such a nice guy, Ernest Hemingway himself, made the daiquiri his own. 

But the girls do like the drink and here’s where mothers come in…it’s delightful!

I loved the girly version when my children were small. The daiquiri desire started because the sips loosened my uptight self. With four toddlers underfoot, I am not ashamed to say liquor played a tiny part in getting me through the week. The context is important. I had baby twins and an 18-month-old, and the times were a-changin’ but they hadn’t changed yet! My pediatrician prescribed two beers per night so I could nurse my twins. Once a week I had lunch with my closest friend, where we consumed many courses and glasses of wine, and that was fine and normal for anyone to do then. There were no ‘girls nights out’ in those days! 

Car seats were not mandatory till your child was a tween either. I drove a green Jaguar, the inside of which looked like a men’s club, to swim meets all over the South, with three kids in the car and one beer for me. Who would even do that today? Who would want to? Daiquiris came into my picture because of swimming. After laps in the pool, another friend & I ordered banana daiquiris. How lame is that? Everything we did in the pool was undone by the drink! Luckily I didn’t drink too much because I don’t have that gene. Not too much, not too little, just pure pleasure for 20 minutes. That’s what moms everywhere want, a 20-minute R&R. 

Those were my coping strategies for being a mom then. I didn’t know about meditation, yoga, smoothies. But now…WOW! Moms are the heroes the wide world over. Moms are everything and do everything as our world has become our home. (Dad’s are great too, but we don’t have to worry about that on Mother’s Day.) Moms do their jobs, teach, cook, clean, nurture, even bribe household members to get through cooped up survival.

Daiquiris are the perfect Mother's Day drink. They bring a bearable lightness of being in this almost unbearable time. They are a tropical trio of rum, lime juice and sugar, plus ice, combined in a shaker, usually served up but you can drink on the rocks. I do. The ice melts slowly, giving a little less punch and allows a 20 minute brain buzz instead of a headache in the morning. Think about it. Do the math. 2 ounces hard stuff +1 ounce sugar = on the way to sh*t faced. The sugar combined with the alcohol packs a double whammy.

This is math at the Academy. We are not awarding degrees in trigonometry, we are working towards a degree based on a meaningful life in a functioning home. Distilling all that higher thinking down to the narrowest point possible gets us to one question: why drink a daiquiri? For a delicious 20 minute break injecting a tiny bit of flirt, frisk and fun for mom on Mother’s Day. 

Let’s make our drink.

Squeeze a lime, or maybe two, to get 1 ounce juice. Pour in a cocktail shaker. Add sugar syrup, ¾ to 1 ounce (made with a sugar to boiled water ratio of 1:1), depending on how sweet you want to go. Pour in 2 ounces white rum. Add ice cubes to fill the shaker three quarters full. Shake shake shake your cocktail shaker. Strain in a pre-chilled glass. Add a lime slice.

Cheers to Moms everywhere!

The Academy’s job is to help make your home life as meaningful as possible. Part of a meaningful life is taking a step back, accessing any situation, giving ourselves some breathing room — and that’s where the Wednesday sip comes in. We all need a break and we need community!

You are invited to join us (via Zoom) on Wednesdays at 5:30 - 6:00 for Sip with Suzanne. Next week’s topic: The Marvelous Martini…

Can the Grid be Fun?

“Zoom Cocktails” needs a rename because what makes a cocktail party a cocktail party doesn’t happen on the grid. For these we don’t dress, put on special shoes, walk into someone's house, smell the food, hug the host, meet people, even someone who might change our life. The surprises and rituals are gone: hang in the doorway (have you ever noticed how everyone does this?), help make a drink, take a look around, figure out who to talk to. At cocktails parties, we choose to stand or sit, observe or connect, and catch the vibe of the party. No longer. 

Now we don’t move, mingle or mix. We can't have surface conversations until we find who we want to go deep with. Small talk is a fun and flirty cocktail sport; looking into eyes — for a second — and winking, or touching someone’s sleeve to make a point. How do we translate this into our new world? We do not. 

Using our senses is out. Active listening with body language is out. Now we look into people's eyes for more than thirty minutes, and cannot get away. It’s exhausting. The world is fundamentally changed, our culture permanently shifted. Things that were important are no longer. Is it possible to have fun at a cocktail party online? The jury is out…but maybe that’s the point: staying connected as we venture into the new world together.

A few Zoom Cocktail tips:

• Mix your drink and have a snack ready before signing in. Why? Because ritual is important. Rituals signal to the brain it’s time to transition from work to relaxing. 

• Play music in your space, keeping yourself on mute except when you have something to say. 

• Think of a topic worth discussing and steer the conversation, instead of listening to stuff you would walk away from at a cocktail party. 

• Do not walk around with your laptop or continually adjust the laptop on your lap. The movement is disorienting and dizzying for the viewers. 

• Know where your computer camera is and make sure it is in front of you. If your computer is off to the side, even an inch or two, you look like you are not paying attention.

• Smile a LOT!

Social interaction is about connecting with one another; making people feel heard, appreciated, and loved. We do that in so many ways in person. Now it’s time to learn best practices on screen. And be grateful to Zoom for the free forty minutes!

Sip with Suzanne! Wednesday’s at 5:30 EST 4/8/20 Topic: How to Make an Old Fashioned

Cocktail Parties in Isolation

Never underestimate what you can accomplish from the comfort of your own bed! E.g. Matisse…

To stay mentally healthy, we must connect. One of the most delightful ways used to be inviting people into our homes and giving them not only food and drink but also our undivided attention. Now that the world has changed and many of us are having, or will have, health emergencies, we still need to connect but we also need behave in a different way. Instead of cocktail or dinner parties (the thought of hosting them borders on bad taste!) we will learn to gather in new ways. How else will you contribute to friends’ and neighbors’ emotional health? 

How often do we get a chance to reboot the cocktail party? A powerful and inexpensive way to host is with this simple plan. Invite someone spontaneously — because when you need a companion, we guarantee one of your friends does too. Text a time, topic and menu so a little happy vibe comes through. While you pour yourself a cocktail, a glass of wine or soda water, warm some olives to nibble and find a quiet place to sit; your friend will do the same and then Zoom, Facetime, Skype, or just call. The virtual cocktail doesn’t have to go long but it will do you both some good.

Let’s all stay connected, stay sane, stay well, stay healthy at home!

Mason Jar Gifts

Homemade gifts are often the loveliest presents because who really needs one more thing?

A gift made in your kitchen can become everyone’s most anticipated present, especially if given on an annual basis. Why not start a signature gift that becomes your holiday offering to loved ones near & far? Make sure it is super delicious and include directions on how to use...

For ten years, I gave mason jars filled with homemade mincemeat from James Beard’s tremendous recipe. Recipients can make mince pies in fifteen minutes and serve a holiday dessert that tastes like Christmas distilled.

These days I give jars of George Washington’s punch, an extraordinary concoction of alcohols mixed and blended, smooth as velvet. The punch can be served in two ways: poured into a punch bowl (complete with ice ring) and topped with two bottles of champagne at a holiday party, or individually as the world’s best Old Fashioned. Just add a bit of soda water and an orange slice. Divine!

Another mason jar gift which is a tasty treat all year long is Alison Roman’s granola. The Academy’s adopted version (adding whole nuts and coconut, subtracting buckwheat) pairs exceptionally well with the Handbook as a hostess gift for your nearest & dearest...

A non-mason jar homemade never to be forgotten gift is a Buche de Noel. If you are lucky enough to be invited to a Christmas Eve or Day dinner, consider arriving with a Buche (but do tell the host in advance.) I had a friend who gave large annual holiday buffets for years, and I always showed up with two Buche de Noels. This year I am making two again, one for Christmas Eve and one for Christmas Dinner. Sometimes you can’t get enough of a good thing.

'The Ultimate House Party' for January VIE

“I visited Tony and Carla in their home in southern France for two summers, and now we are family. We’ve adopted each other. When I need a lift, I tap into the memories of those halcyon days at the Hendra’s place. What could be better than reveling for a week (yes, a full week!) in communal bliss—eating, drinking, swimming, and walking around a charming village, with time for long conversations and hours of cooking? All the while, you’re leaving the frenzy of your trials and tribulations behind, at least for a spell.

A house party host must possess an overflowing heart, a hugely generous spirit (and often, an open pocketbook), boundless energy, and a willingness to carve out time for others. The house party host is the exact opposite of self-centered. The tasks are multiple, but so are the rewards for those of us who have organized house parties and been recipients of these idyllic stays. Making a group of people feel safe and loved, watered and fed for a few days is a fabulous gift….”

Read the rest of the Dean’s How To’s of World-Class Hosting (learned in large part from the Hendras) in the January 2020 issue of VIE Magazine HERE!