“A HOUSE IS A BUILDING.
A HOME IS A FEELING….SOMETHING YOU CARRY WITH YOU.”
– Paula Pell, Writer, “SISTERS”
They say, whomever “they” are, that home is where the heart is. And in our hearts, we carry with us those that matter most; our relationships. We also carry those passions and beliefs that keep us going everyday; our dreams. This month is dedicated to just that. To those that matter most and to that which keeps us going.
Paula Pell has never really been a household name. Now, Tina Fey and Amy Poehler, on the other hand…well…I don’t need to say much else, do I? But what some of you may not know, is that Ms. Pell has been the writer of many of the Saturday Night Live sketches starring Amy & Tina (among others) that have left you laughing in tears over the years. Paula Pell has been writing for SNL since 1995, and it was only until recently that she decided to take a stab at writing her first feature film. This lady knows her strengths. Comedy. And for Paula, there was no better humor than her & her sister’s teenage diaries. They say write what you know, don’t they?!
Poehler and Fey star in “SISTERS”, a laugh-out-loud comedy about two wildly different and disconnected sisters who are summoned home to clean out their childhood bedrooms, but not before they throw one last epic party.
This dynamic duo doesn’t disappoint. They succeed both in playing out Pell’s women-behaving-badly, unapologetic humor, as well as the smaller but more meaningful moments that give us a peek into the more vulnerable sides of these two sisters; unable to deal with the inevitable passage of time, unless they deal with it together. In one of the final scenes, Poehler & Fey share a deep embrace, and we can see tears in their eyes. Whether it was a real acting moment between the characters Maura (Poehler) and Kate (Fey), or just a real moment between the comediennes themselves, that feeling of family and bonding is one that lasts long after the credits are over.
January’s Mixologists: IVY MIX & LYNNETTE MARRERO
It seemed only fitting to pair the biggest dynamic duo actresses of the year with cocktails coming from the biggest dynamic duo mixologists of the year. Ivy Mix and Lynnette Marrero are some of the baddest babes in the bartending biz. More than their crafty recipes, though, is their mission behind it. Mix and Marrero are the co-founders of Speed Rack, the first international, all-female bartending competition that donates 100% of their proceeds to breast cancer awareness, prevention, and research.
Winners of Food & Wine and Fortune Magazine’s 2015 “Most Innovative Women in Food and Drink”, Mix and Marrero both rose through the ranks of New York’s bartending scene, working at some of the city’s best establishments. Their friendship grew fast in the biz, but their passion for women in the cocktail industry grew even faster. Their idea was to create a cocktail competition that celebrated and supported women both in and out of the industry. So far, Speed Rack has raised more than $300,000 globally for breast cancer charities, and like their comedy counterparts, these ladies don’t seem to be stopping anytime soon.
But what to drink while watching “SISTERS”, you ask? I chose two very different cocktails, one from Mix and one from Marrero, but both using champagne as the base spirit. New Years may have come and gone, but bubbly is timeless.
From Ivy Mix, we have her CITURS CHAMPAGNE PUNCH, her secret ingredient being her oleo-saccharum recipe, in essence a sugaraed oil that bartenders create as a way to provide an elegantly citrusy flavor and aroma to their cocktails. From Lynnette Marrero, we have her VILLE ET PAYS, her nod to champagne as being more than just a “girl’s drink”.
January’s Cocktails: CITRUS CHAMPAGNE PUNCH & VILLE ET PAYS
To get Ivy Mix’s full recipe, click here: CITRUS CHAMPAGNE PUNCH RECIPE
To get Lynnette Marrero’s full recipe, click here: VILLE ET PAYS RECIPE
Whoever “they” are, they also say, “You only live once, but if you do it right, once is enough.” Ok, actually, Mae West said that one. But the meaning behind it still rings true: if we keep our passions close and our personal relationships closer, we’re home.
Cheers!