In The Devil Wears Prada, as Anne Hathaway’s character answers yet another call from her domineering boss, her boyfriend says, “You know, in case you were wondering—the person whose calls you always take? That’s the relationship you’re in. I hope you two are very happy together.”
Since the COVID crisis hit 15 months ago, my husband and I have held a nightly videoconference call with two other couples. The cover was virtual cocktails, but the point of the exercise was maintaining our connection to each other.
Everyone’s pandemic experience is unique. While some have been merely inconvenienced, others have suffered terrible losses of incomes, homes, and lives. My family of five (yes, I count the dog) was fairly insulated from the worst of the pandemic’s effects because we retreated to our small cabin in the woods of Western Maine, could continue to work remotely, and had control over our own risk mitigation. The virus did eventually breach our defenses, but it did not infect everyone in the family, and recovery was swift. We certainly count ourselves fortunate.
One thing that became difficult almost immediately for me was not being able to have family over for dinner, not meeting friends for drinks, not socializing… not even a little. I can’t remember which one of us had the idea to create the cocktail hour connection, but it may have been the idea that saved our sanities.
Early each day, one of us shares a cocktail recipe, either made by our own design or inspired by a classic cocktail. We all make the same cocktail in our own homes, dial in, and share them virtually, together. We’ve even standardized our ingredient list so there is no excuse to not drink exactly what everyone else is drinking. The shared cocktail experience really helps to solidify the connection.
We have taken pains to hold this call every single day. Our twin boys grew from 11 months to 23 months in front of everyone’s eyes in the first year of this virtual cocktail club! Traveling couples have called in from the car (with mocktails, of course), and we have plans to meet our newest (non-imbibing) member of the group in this fashion when she is born. In fact, we have decided that our daily cocktail club will not end until all are vaccinated and can meet in person in public.
Here are a few of the colorful creations inspired by our time sharing cocktails together, yet apart.
