10. The drink of the summer is ...
Don't worry, I consulted an expert!
Hi friends. It’s been an upsetting week news-wise. I think we deserve a mental break, but I wanted to start off with sharing the rights you have if you are being detained, what to do if someone you know is detained, and the rights you have as a protestor.
OK LET’S TALK COCKTAILS BC WE ALL NEED ONE AM I RIGHT.
Summer is in full swing, despite the weather. The rain didn’t relieve the Tribeca Film Festival from crowds (where I went to see a friend’s film on Sunday) or stop the “strawberry moon,” which I saw for a few minutes on the Wythe Hotel’s terrace during a private party featuring bartenders from Dubai, Miami, Hong Kong, and Limassol. FYI Limassol is in Cyprus, I too had to look it up.
Though all the bartenders at last night’s event served up very interesting, delicious drinks — including a drink inspired by watermelon gazpacho; a bourbon, verjus, and sparkling mineral water concoction topped with citrus foam; and “La Piscine” which was Strawberry infused Mezcal, yellow bell pepper, grapefruit bitters, chili and CO2 served in a cognac balloon glass with a perfectly round ball of ice floating in the middle — I don’t think any of these are a contender for the coveted ‘drink of the summer.’
I’ve seen reports that it will be a Carajillo, but I fear we cannot sip espresso-based drinks at the same rate and frequency as former drinks of the summer without catastrophic consequences.
I sent an article titled: “We're Calling It: The Carajillo Tónico Is Going to Be the Drink of the Summer,” to my husband, a.k.a. my home bartender. He replied: “Coffee + tonic was THE drink of the spring at my old Bushwick apt.”
I decided to get an expert opinion. Gus Steiner is currently the beverage director at Nitehawk Cinema, previously running the programs at Jupiter (rink side at the Rockefeller) and King.
“What is the drink of the summer?” I demanded over text. “Of this summer? sheesh,” he replied.
Steiner says spritz’s are still very in vogue, with the last two summers featuring the Hugo Spritz. But there’s a new aperitif in town and he thinks it’s going to be big. It’s called Amaro Santoni.
He also says to look out for cocktails made with sotol, a spirit made in Mexico and Southern Texas that is “sort of in between tequila and mezcal.” As there are producers in Texas, sotol could potentially not be impacted by the tariffs that will hit tequila and mezcal. “But the stuff made in Mexico is better,” concluded Steiner. Ain’t that always the way.
I went deeper with Steiner on both spirits and what drinks they taste best in. I might have even inspired a new drink you’ll see on Nitehawk’s menu (the literal dream, please name it after me!). If you’re interested, check out my deep dive.
My bet? Meet Campari Ting, a delightfully easy drink to make that Jamaica is going crazy for. From a hosting perspective, you couldn’t ask for a better situation. Just Campari and Grapefruit soda (or Ting if you are being authentic). Here is the recipe. I made it and I drank it, and I can confirm it is very appropriate for drinking on a terrace.
Today’s letter includes: a celeb I like is getting a podcast, a fond farewell to a music legend (playlist included!), marketing campaigns that don't actually suck, who's getting all the new millionaire money.
RIP Brian Wilson. I was obsessed with the Beach Boys as a child and to date it’s still one of the only early musical choices I made that still holds up. Brian Wilson wrote some of the most iconic songs in the world despite an incredibly dark personal life. This Variety article provides a look into his achievements and challenges. He passed at 82. Here’s a ‘Remembering Brian Wilson’ playlist on Spotify.
Adulting so hard with retirement savings. Americans are finally saving almost what they’re supposed to for retirement. The Wall Street Journal reports that Americans with 401(k) plans are stashing away a record 14.3% of their earnings, a noticeable jump from 13.5% in 2020. This positive shift is largely driven by more companies implementing automatic enrollment and higher default savings rates.
Here are some marketing campaigns that don’t suck: Billie, a D2C shave brand, just completed a very cute out of home campaign where they turned billboards into giant scratch and sniffs to promote a new scent. A24 is promoting their new film The Materialists which looks absolutely fire and they made a website where men of New York City can find out if they are worth investing in. Steve Madden went viral for being himself, I’m planning to cover that one in more depth later.
The rich get richer etc. etc. The world gained 600,000 new millionaires in 2024, a phenomenon heavily influenced by the robust performance of U.S. tech stocks. According to new data from Capgemini, 562,000 of these new millionaires are based in the United States, marking a 7.6% growth in our millionaire population. Furthermore, those with over $30 million in investable assets experienced an impressive 12% jump in their wealth.
Social Media Marketers can’t live without Canva. For those curious about the indispensable tools of the trade, Rachel Karten recently surveyed 800 social media marketers about the one tool, app, or software they couldn't do their job without. Canva, Sprout Social, and CapCut emerged as the clear frontrunners. Other frequently cited favorites include Photoshop, Asana, Notion, Adobe, Slack, ChatGPT, and Figma. Do you agree with these picks?
Tennis is still so hot rn. After reporting on sewing’s rise last week, I’d be remiss not to mention that tennis continues to dominate the news cycles and public mindshare.
Here’s what I’ve been seeing without looking for it at all: a fun report of the fashion at Roland Garros, a man who went viral for his casual plein air painting (see above), and an anecdote from Jessie Randall, founder and creative director of Loeffler Randall about a place she went to called Total Tennis. It’s upstate in Saugerties, NY, has 80’s-esque branding, and Randall describes it as: “a summer camp for adults entirely focused on tennis.”
And of course, Coco Gauff, the 21-year-old American — and the No. 2 player in the world — won the 2025 French Open with a 6-7 (5), 6-2, 6-4 win over world No. 1 Aryna Sabalenka.
Other stuff: Dua Lipa is gonna have a podcast; The UAE is set to become the first country to use AI to write its laws; Zara reported a weaker first quarter than analysts were anticipating; BioNTech to buy CureVac (who makes cancer drugs) for $1.25B; Montauk Yacht Club is partnering with Lavazza; SaaS/PaaS company Databricks says annualized revenue will reach $3.7 billion by next month; vaping is out!
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