Mashable: It’s time to suck it up and do Zoom happy hours again. “At first, Zoom happy hours were novel. And fun! Next, they were an underwhelming necessity. An ‘it’s better than nothing’ option. Eventually, they became … boring. And a little bit depressing. Most of us just stopped doing them. This also happened to be around the same time we learned masked and socially distanced outdoor get togethers were relatively safe. But now it’s time again, folks. Suck it up and do Zoom happy hours again.”
alcoholic beverages
City A.M.: Google searches for ‘takeaway pints’ rise 3,000% in a week
City A.M.: Google searches for ‘takeaway pints’ rise 3,000% in a week. “Brits are missing the pub during the latest coronavirus lockdown, new research showed, as searches for reopening dates and takeaway pints rocketed during the first week of new restrictions. According to analysis of Google data, last week searches for ‘when can pubs reopen in England’ soared 2,501 per cent.”
CBC: Ottawa grandma finds her happy hour on Instagram
CBC: Ottawa grandma finds her happy hour on Instagram. “An Ottawa grandmother has found a way to chase away her pandemic blues, one sip at a time. At 82, Donna Calcutt-Andrew is the star of her new Instagram page Cocktails with Grandma, which highlights her locally sourced cocktail hour drinks.”
The Guardian: Low and no-alcohol sales soar 30% in lockdown as UK drinking habits change
The Guardian: Low and no-alcohol sales soar 30% in lockdown as UK drinking habits change. “From beers to spirits and even ready-to-drink cocktails, supermarket sales of no- and low-alcohol drinks have soared during lockdown as consumers become used to popping them into their trolleys with their grocery staples.”
WGRZ: Craving a craft brew? New website will tell you the best places in NYS to find one
WGRZ: Craving a craft brew? New website will tell you the best places in NYS to find one. “A new virtual passport will showcase and promote 200 craft breweries that closely surround the 750-mile Empire State Trail. The new website is a partnership between the Empire State Trail and the New York State Brewers Association. It encourages New Yorkers to visit breweries within ten miles of the trail which spans the entire state.”
Eater DC: In D.C., Dr. Fauci Inspires Trust, Calm, and a Popular Line of Pouched Cocktails
Eater DC: In D.C., Dr. Fauci Inspires Trust, Calm, and a Popular Line of Pouched Cocktails. “Dr. Anthony Fauci’s face is everywhere, which explains why it popped into Rohit Malhotra’s head. As the nation’s leading expert on infectious disease, Fauci endeared himself to the public early on in the COVID-19 pandemic with his heavy Brooklyn accent, unassuming physique, and straight talk on the novel coronavirus. Over the past seven months, he has become a household name, a frequent guest on primetime news shows, inevitable meme fodder, and — thanks to Malhotra and his staff — the unwitting logo for a line of pouched cocktails that helped a Washington, D.C., bar stay open through a public health crisis that has been catastrophic for restaurants.”
Business Insider: The Houses of Parliament’s bars will no longer be exempt from the UK’s 10pm coronavirus drinking curfew following public outcry
Business Insider: The Houses of Parliament’s bars will no longer be exempt from the UK’s 10pm coronavirus drinking curfew following public outcry. “Bars inside the UK’s Houses of Parliament will no longer be exempted from strict new coronavirus restrictions requiring licensed premises to close at 10pm, following public outcry about the decision. Boris Johnson announced earlier this month that all bars and restaurants in England would have to close their doors at 10pm in a bid to halt the current second wave of infections spreading across the country.”
CNN: New Orleans restaurants can now serve alcoholic beverages as to-go drinks
CNN: New Orleans restaurants can now serve alcoholic beverages as to-go drinks. “New Orleans restaurants are already allowed to serve alcohol to people dining at the restaurants. The move follows previous loosened restrictions by the mayor, including the reopening of playgrounds and the resumption of high school athletics in October.”
New York Times: Mother’s Little Helper Is Back, and Daddy’s Partaking Too
New York Times: Mother’s Little Helper Is Back, and Daddy’s Partaking Too. “I have a yearslong WhatsApp message group with a handful of fellow mothers of small children from across the United States and Canada. Since the pandemic began, what I refer to as ‘mom chats after dark’ start at around 7:30 p.m., Eastern Standard Time. That’s when the children are asleep, and a wave of inebriation begins on the shores of the Atlantic and crashes across the continent. The above message was from July, when we hit 125 days of lockdown.”
Philadelphia Inquirer: Sonoma’s wineries embrace online sales, budget pricing to woo pandemic drinkers
Philadelphia Inquirer: Sonoma’s wineries embrace online sales, budget pricing to woo pandemic drinkers. “In the Sonoma Valley, home to 60,000 acres of grapes and 400 wineries, the pandemic has disrupted a 150-year-old supply chain. Grape growers that once focused on selling to high-end wineries are lowering their prices and supplying cheaper brands. Wineries that can no longer count on tourist visits are replacing in-person events with online campaigns. Restaurants that boasted expansive wine lists now tout their to-go cups.”
Stony Brook Statesman: SBU researchers use social media to study unhealthy drinking habits
Stony Brook Statesman: SBU researchers use social media to study unhealthy drinking habits. “The study, in collaboration with professors from the University of Pennsylvania, is led by H. Andrew Schwartz, assistant professor of computer science at Stony Brook University. Schwartz’s team is trying to develop an artificial intelligence (AI) program that can scan social media data and use the recorded information to understand the users’ habits in order to predict their future behavior. In this case, the team is focusing on the ability to understand how mood and environment lead to unhealthy drinking behavior. Such behavior is defined as 14 drinks in a single week for a man, or seven drinks for a woman.”
MEL Magazine: What The Bartenders Serving You Assholes Are Really Thinking
MEL Magazine: What The Bartenders Serving You Assholes Are Really Thinking. “If you’ve been on social media recently, you’ve probably seen the images: People happily posing at bars or at tables in a parking lot, always making sure to tell you in the caption that despite how it looks, they’re practicing social distancing while they enjoy cheap margaritas. But for those who are still basically quarantining — because the curve isn’t even close to flattening — such pictures are a stain on the timeline. It’s a party they’re not invited to/unable to attend. Moreover, it risks potentially spiking said curve even higher.”
The Drinks Business: Website launched to highlight BAME wine professionals
The Drinks Business: Website launched to highlight BAME wine professionals. “The website, called BAME Wine Professionals, features people working in all corners of the sector, including sales, hospitality, marketing and PR, wholesale, winemaking, buying and logistics, as well as wine educators and communicators.”
EurekAlert: Smartphones can tell when you’re drunk by analyzing your walk
EurekAlert: Smartphones can tell when you’re drunk by analyzing your walk. “Your smartphone can tell when you’ve had too much to drink by detecting changes in the way you walk, according to a new study published in the Journal of Studies on Alcohol and Drugs.”
ESPN: Inside the NBA bubble’s unofficial wine club
ESPN: Inside the NBA bubble’s unofficial wine club. “IN THE DAYS leading up to the NBA’s Florida reboot, New Orleans Pelicans guard JJ Redick contemplated what provisions to bring for a stay in the Orlando bubble that would last at least five weeks. He initially focused only on the necessities and packed light. Then on July 8, once he arrived with the Pelicans at their appointed hotel, the Yacht Club, Redick gauged his room and hotel amenities. One of his first efforts was to examine the wine list.”