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Prairie Rose | Bit By A Fox 🍸

@bitbyafox

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🥃 Senior Drinks Editor, @foodandwine
🎧 Bit by a Fox Podcast
✍️ Mixology for Beginners
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The April issue of @foodandwine is the Drinks Issue and it also marks my print debut at the magazine! Last year, I was visiting Portland just when the book @bartenderpantry was to be published and I was able to sit down with the co-author and bartending legend @mixography to discuss it. The interview was epic and a digital feature came from it soon after, but so did this deep dive into the ethos behind the book. Print takes its time, and I’m so grateful to @lucynashsimon for holding my hand along the way - and to all of the many editors and creatives who had a hand in bringing this to life. I hope you pick up an issue if you don’t already subscribe! 🥂 by @bitbyafox

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a year ago

This has been a long time coming, but after a LOT of work and a few pivots, here we are! I'm so excited to finally announce that I have a book coming out! MIXOLOGY FOR BEGINNERS came out of this past year and a half, when so many of us were mixing up drinks at home, tuning in to virtual happy hours, and experimenting with spirits and flavors and digging up classics we’d normally order out in the world. I’m proud to say that I’ve really tried to make this book my own - including must know drinks, as well as my favorite modern classics from some of my favorite bars and bartenders, and even some of my greatest hits from the Bit by a Fox blog. I’ve even included my story about how I stumbled into this intoxicating biz. It was truly a labor of love!

The book officially drops on October 26th but you can pre-order your copy RIGHT NOW via the link in my bio.

Stay tuned for sneak peeks in the coming weeks! I’m so excited! 🍸 taken in Los Angeles, California by @bitbyafox

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5 years ago

It’s my mom’s birthday today. She will never be 72.

These photos are from last year’s bday when we went up Mount Lemmon to escape the Tucson heat, and ate fudge, and took our minds off the fact that she was already in the middle of heavy duty radiation treatment.

I’m still in such deep grief that I don’t know how to survive the day, let alone know what to write. Do I honor her? Distract myself with work and busyness? Take a yoga class, get a massage, eat chocolates, journal, and cry myself to sleep? All of the above, probably.

I always thought having a young mom meant I wouldn’t lose her until I was in my 70s. Delusional, maybe, or just overly optimistic — especially considering how lucky we were to get what we got. My mom’s own mother didn’t live to see 43, and she had to navigate life after 16 without a mother at all, a life she ran from and never fully made peace with. I think that’s part of why, even young, I was so aware of how fortunate I was to have a mom who loved me that deeply.

Birthdays were always a big deal for us, so I can’t not mark this one, no matter how sad I am. On this day of our Virgo queen Barbara Zelano’s birth, do something she’d love: eat strong black licorice, drink limoncello out of 1940s glassware, have pancakes for dinner, cover your body in her favorite scents: amber, citrus, coffee, sandalwood, take a long swim on your back looking at the sky, pick flowers that make you happy and arrange them in a vintage vase, light some incense, snuggle a kitty, kiss a pupper, photograph birds and plants and the moon, play Kate Bush or Prince or the Kills or Etta James, smoke a bowl, watch a Ryan Gosling movie, sing in the shower, and laugh, laugh, laugh. by @bitbyafox

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19 days ago

They Say He Is Very Bright, by painter @williamparkart

At the end of March, I lost my father, Fred Nemo. I hardly had time to catch my breath and process that loss before I flew into caretaker mode with my mom. My sweet sister Mimi has been dealing with the aftermath of his death much the same way I have with my mom. It’s been a heavy few months.

Though my mom was my sole parent, Fred was a looming figure in my life, periodically breezing into Olympia from Portland in an ancient Chrysler with a Converse sneaker serving as a duct-taped hood ornament. Often, my sisters would be with him, my translators to a Fredly language I had yet to understand.

My mom and dad were dear friends all my life, and I knew he not-so-secretly preferred her company. He would light up when he spoke about her, a great love of his life. They had deep respect for one another, and it made me see each of them through the other’s eyes.

A few hours ago, while cleaning out my mom’s house, I found a sweet, silly note from him to her tucked into a journal he kept while touring with Hazel in the ‘90s. Their handwriting was so distinct. So artful and elegant. Much like each of them.
On this Father’s Day, I honor them both. They were both very bright. by @bitbyafox

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3 months ago

This is an appreciation post for @joylb33 Yes, it’s her birthday and cause for celebration, but I’ve been meaning to shout from the rooftops how lucky am I to have this wondrous woman in my life, especially lately, when things have been super hard.

I love how she’s game for any adventure from the Blue Lagoon and hot air balloons to random events where anything can happen. But she’ll also be there when things are not so glamorous. She’s one of the most capable people I know, and one of the strongest. She shows up. And that’s not always easy. Here’s to a lighter year filled with more adventuring and less bullshit, my dear friend. Love you lots. 💕 by @bitbyafox

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4 months ago

It’s now been just a little over two weeks since my mom took her last breath and left this earthly existence. This is the longest I’ve gone without talking with her.

She had me at 19 (on a hippie commune in Eastern Washington amongst the wild roses) and, while there were always dear people in our lives, she raised me on her own. It was an unusual, complicated, and extraordinary bond we shared. We talked every day. On me, she imprinted her outrageous laugh, her limitless curiosity, her independent spirit, and her love of life, art, people, and beauty — as well as just about everything else. I’m pretty sure we were each other’s favorite people.

I’m moving through the grief in slow motion right now, trying (not to) catch up to the reality of it all. But it’s all around me here in Tucson, while I try to keep her plants alive, and smell her perfumes, and pack up a life too big to contain. Sometimes the pain is just too much. But then I remember how lucky I am to have had the kind of remarkable, deep sense of closeness and love that we shared for as many years as we did. So long that I was able to mother her. What a gift!

I have no idea how I will move on from this heartbreak, but I do know that she’d want me to live and love and create and make the kind of difference that she did for those around her. I’ll forever be Barbara Zelano’s daughter, but I now carry her spirit with me in this next phase of life without her. taken in Tucson, Arizona by @bitbyafox

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4 months ago

I’ve long wanted to be a guest at an @out_inthefield dinner since first reading about the concept years ago. An endlessly long table of food and drink in the wild, under twinkly lights?! Sign me up! Last night, @enjoybrami fulfilled that fantasy at the lovely @thorne.family.farm in Malibu. Incredible wine from @lofiwine was paired with delicious, Spring-y dishes from Chef Rahul Khopkar on a warm, star-filled night, in the perfect locale, bursting with citrus and berries. Thank you to everyone who had a hand in this dinner for reminding me how much I love California, and eating al fresco with old and new friends. (We even saw a SpaceX rocket launch 🚀 later that night!) it was truly otherworldly. taken in Thorne Family Farm by @bitbyafox

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5 months ago

We did it✨We retreated on a gorgeous warm weekend in central coast California 🍷📚🌞

Such a joyful, bookish, restful time in the fresh air with serious feminine energy and wisdom.

🍷thank you @ancientpeaks for sponsoring our wine weekend and for the lovely estate tour. The sauvignon blanc, swoon✨

thanks to @sagrada_wellness, Chef Dave, and Dana for her delicious sound bath🌟

So much gratitude for my co-hosts @kerrylarmstrong @heyjuliemaigret @bitbyafox ♥️

#retreats #california #wine #books #readingretreats taken in Sagrada Wellness Yoga Retreats by @bitbyafox

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7 months ago

From render to reality 🥃 The idea for Women in Whisky was born in the RFP phase for what became one of @p22agency ‘s foundational luxury travel PR clients, @themaybournebh

It was incredible seeing this concept come to life a year later in celebration of Women’s History Month. Not only are we celebrating two trailblazing women-owned brands, @jacksonmccreawhiskey and @lodestarwhiskey , that are redefining the category with a month-long ‘Women in Whisky’ residency, we’re giving The Whisky Bar - notably one of the most moody and under the radar destinations in this award-winning hotel - the spotlight it deserves.

Thank you for guiding us through an incredible panel, @bitbyafox, as our moderator and for all of our media and influencer friends that helped fete this incredible occasion. taken in The Maybourne Beverly Hills by @bitbyafox

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7 months ago

Team Pigtails! ✨This is the team behind the first ever Wine, Words + Wellness retreat happening in less than 2 weeks. ✨

Message to get last minute details! (There’s room for you) and more info in Bookish bio 👆📚🍷🧘‍♀️☀️ taken in Sagrada Wellness Yoga Retreats by @bitbyafox

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7 months ago

🌟Two rooms left for a weekend of books, wine, wellness, and rest in beautiful central California 📚🍷🧘‍♀️🌞

✨Focused time to read together, swap, share, and discuss books
✨Wine tastings hosted by a Food & Wine Magazine Drinks Editor & Sommelier
✨Saturday night Sound Bath
✨Free time on Sagrada’s 45 acres of serene grounds for reading, relaxing, reflecting, communing, hiking, journaling, hot tubbing, and meditating
✨Locally sourced, nourishing gourmet meals crafted by a Beverly Hills Hotel & Hotel Bel-Air alum (vegan and gluten free options available)
✨Lovely, cozy accommodations
✨Gentle yoga suitable for all levels
✨Massage and Astrological Readings for additional fees

Event Dates:
Thur, March 12th: 4pm check-in
Fri, March 13th, and Sat March 14th: two full retreat days
Sun, March 15th: 12pm check-out
20 min outside of San Luis Obispo

👆Sign up via link in the BOOKISH IN THE VALLEY BIO, SAGRADA’S WEBSITE, or send Bookish a DM for more details

@sagrada_wellness @bitbyafox @kerrylarmstrong @bookish.inthevalley
#retreats #book #wine #california #bookclubretreat taken in Sagrada Wellness Yoga Retreats by @bitbyafox

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8 months ago

I’ve wanted to do this story since I was at Liquor a few years ago, initially thinking I’d write it myself. But I’m so glad the talented @estarla agreed to take this on. It’s well researched, informative, and she’s chosen great sources to quote.

Though it seems like we’re finally having conversations around peri/menopause, and women’s reaction to alcohol as we age, food and drinks publications continue to shy away from the subject. Personally (and selfishly), I really wanted to hear from the women who’ve worked in the booze industry (like myself) and how they continue to navigate their relationship with alcohol as they move through peri symptoms. What if this is your career? And you’re trying to balance feeling great and your love of wine, spirits, cocktails...?

Having worked in and around the drinks industry for well over a decade, I’ve had to continually assess my own relationship with alcohol. And, as I’ve gotten older, it has become even more important. I’ve found a balance for myself, but it wouldn’t have been possible without some hormonal help! I urge all my women friends entering this phase of life to be proactive about their hormonal health and to be advocates for themselves. It can be life-changing.

I hope both men and women find this @foodandwine article helpful! link in IG stories. taken in Los Angeles, California by @bitbyafox

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8 months ago