Bespoke Holidays

Many who have been hunkered down with family members for the last nine months may be looking to reinvent holiday celebrations as a break from the monotony of the pandemic holding pattern. While the holidays have not been canceled, some traditions will surely be put on hold while new ones are created as a result of COVID-19.

In mid-September the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a statement with factors for Americans to consider as they plan holiday gatherings and travel. The recommendations largely focus on awareness: knowing community levels of COVID-19, the location and estimated attendance of gatherings, the duration of events and the expected behaviors of those in attendance.

In New York City, the annual New Year’s Eve ball drop will go virtual—though it remains to be seen whether people will resist gathering in public throughout the state and in Times Square, specifically, to mark the passing of this undeniably historic year. One thing is for certain: With so many bars and restaurants still temporarily closed or otherwise operating at a reduced capacity, entertaining during this holiday season will mean even more time at home for many.

At Bag & String Wine Merchants in Lakewood, owner Samuel Whitmore has scheduled a virtual wine tasting class via Facebook Live for the holidays. The event has groups of two to four people sharing six half-sized bottles of Chardonnay with tasting notes and instructions from Whitmore.

“It’s definitely something I think we’re going to see a lot of,” Whitmore said of such socially distanced events. “In addition to the Facebook Live event, I have offered some virtual private tastings to customers who have asked.”

Similarly, at Black Button Distilling in Rochester, takeout cocktail kits became a hit amongst patrons in the early months of quarantine. Speaking on behalf of the distillery, Alex Hunnell, key account manager, explained that people saw it as a great way to support a local business while being able to have fun mixing cocktails in small groups at home.

“Just like making sourdough or learning how to cook, a lot of us finally have the time to make a great cocktail in our own homes,” Hunnell said. “I think we, like many people in the industry, were surprised at how quickly at-home cocktail solutions took off since the pandemic began.”

A similar streamlining of services happened at businesses throughout Western New York, including at Southern Tier Distilling Co. At the start of quarantine early in 2020, the distillery ramped up its online ordering system and instituted a structured, timed, and socially distanced pickup operation. Many restaurants similarly overhauled online ordering systems, while some additionally partnered with delivery services. Hunnell noted several examples of New York businesses changing on the fly to continue to serve patrons including wine slushies and a wide array of canned cocktails.

As a small silver lining, the fact that both businesses and patrons turned to the internet and social media to promote and discover delivery options, online classes and cocktail kits highlights that the pandemic striking this year is vastly different than it would have been if it had hit a decade ago.

“We’ve always seen social media as so important for keeping in touch with Black Button fans,” Hunnell said. “The level of interaction we were already achieving made it a natural way to keep our customers up to date when we couldn’t offer them face-to-face experiences.”

Expect much more from such businesses this year and next in the way of Zoom and Facebook Live events as we strive to stay connected with one another in a continually socially distanced world. And, for the holidays, whether entertaining for one or a few, try some bespoke holiday-inspired cocktails.