What’s your drink order, Magpie? I love to learn my friends’ secret coffee orders, favorite weeknight wines, health tinctures, and hyper-fixation cocktails. My best friend and I used to sporadically text each other photos of our soy lattes back in our 20s — we were both obsessed with them — and for some reason, catching a glimpse of her feet on the NYC sidewalk beneath her latte sparked joy and cultivated a sense of intimacy even though we lived states apart. Sometimes she still texts me and asks exactly what I’m doing — “I like to have a picture of where you are” — and I enjoy “guess texting” her with what I think she’s up to at a random time of the week: “Craig has golf on, you’re about to order Thai food, and you’re drinking a martini.” (I have been dead-on at least once.)
Anyhow — what are you sipping on this season?
During the week, I enjoy exactly one mug of hot coffee with half-and-half and sugar in the morning, which Mr. Magpie brews with his Moccamaster, using beans he grinds daily with his Fellow Grinder. On the weekends, Mr. Magpie sometimes makes what he calls “bonus coffee,” and we enjoy refills. I don’t need or frankly crave the extra caffeine (I’m a one-cup-a-day gal), but I love the ritual of it on a slow weekend morning. And when we’re between coffee subscription shipments (we’re currently drinking Sey coffee, based in Brooklyn), we treat ourselves to pitstops at Grace Street Coffee in Bethesda, and I’ll order an oat latte, hot or iced depending on my mood, not the weather. (My sister once told me it was “savage” to drink an iced latte in the winter, but sometimes I’m just in that mood.)
At home, we nearly always drink out of these porcelain “filter” mugs from Intelligentsia, seen below. I had read, deep in Reddit coffee nerd threads, that porcelain mugs are the ideal conveyance for coffee. These ones have a simple, almost diner-like design, but a nice, heavy heft to them — the thick walls keep liquid hotter longer.
I drink water all day long out of an enormous straw-top Yeti I stole from Mr. Magpie after he received it from a work retreat. He works for the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research, and on the side panel, the water bottle reads: “BE OPTIMISTIC / BE TENACIOUS / BE COLLABORATIVE / BE BOLD / BE ADAPTABLE / BE CURIOUS.” It sends a shiver of hope down my spine every time I lay eyes on it, which is — often. The Foundation is an incredible organization, and I’m not saying that because Mr. Magpie works there. I am obsessed with all of his colleagues, who are bright and passionate (I accidentally eavesdrop on a lot of their conversations since we both work from home and will later tell Mr. Magpie how smart someone sounded, or how productive a chat seemed — ha! Just some casual couch quarterbacking), and the Foundation is trying to “put itself out of business,” which means it is not operating off of an endowment but investing substantial money in scientific research to cure the disease right now, in real time, not a moment to lose. The urgency, grace, and sense of purpose with which this organization operates routinely moves me. And, of course, who doesn’t love MJF?! A treasure! Bringing things full circle, apparently our boy John Mayer first picked up a guitar because he was inspired by MJF playing “Johnny Be Good” in “Back to the Future.” (Also, if you haven’t seen the MFJ documentary, “Still,” it’s deeply touching, beautifully produced, and deserving of a view. Many friends and family members have reached out after seeing it to let Landon know how much it meant to them.) Anyway. I sit with the Foundation all day long, and I think about the good they’re doing every time I sip my water.
At lunch, I drink one Spindrift, preferably lemon, and if I need an afternoon pick me up, I like Harney & Son’s Cinnamon Orange tea.
In the evening, it’s a matter of mood: sometimes a glass of wine (I love Italian reds — Nebbiolo, Montepulciano d’Abruzzo, Nero D’Avola, Chianti), sometimes a cocktail (I’m back on my daiquiri kick, and have been loving either the mezcal one or La Bomba, which is seen at the top of this post and below), sometimes more water followed by Harney and Sons peppermint tea, sometimes a glass of something sparkling. I derive tremendous joy out of sipping sparkling or “up” cocktails out of these beautiful coupes, seen in the photo below — among my most prized possessions. (I believe code Magpie20 still gets you 20% off at Food52, FYI.) Meanwhile, Mr. Magpie is a pretty devoted Gruner Veltliner guy these days. He considers it the perfect white wine to pair with food or nothing at all. He was raving about it to some friends we had over this past weekend, and he explained that it’s got more body to it than a sauvignon blanc, but isn’t sweet or heavy — it’s an easy-drinking, off-dry, bright wine that tends to come in affordable 1L bottles. In general, though, Mr. Magpie is much more likely to modify his beverage program based on what we’re eating. If he’s making a big steak, he’s going to pour a big red. If he’s looking for a pre-dinner cocktail, it’s often a negroni. He has his specs, though: he likes to blend Carpico Antica with sweet vermouth, and will occasionally swap in Bruto Americano for Campari. And it’s always over a big block of ice, in a frosted glass, with a long peel of lemon, not orange.
How about you, Magpie? What are you sipping on this season?
Post-Scripts.
+More about Mr. Magpie’s coffee gear.
+Elevated athleisure for coffee runs.
Shopping Break.
+WOW, just added this red cocktail dress to cart for the holidays.
+These captoe ballets are SO good — great colors. Very Chanel, but not too-copycat.
+My sister and I were freaking out over the new Reformation x The New York City Ballet collab. This tulle skirt is calling my name. Like with a great velvet heel and a cashmere sweater tucked in?! My sister sent me a screenshot of this head to toe look and said: “…it me?” Any of my Magpies who know my sister will agree: it’s SO her style. (She’s worked in fashion for years and years, lives in NYC, and has incredible fashion taste.)
+I’ve been updating my Prime Deal Day finds here. I have to say the item I purchased that I am most excited about was this mixed pack of my favorite flosses, 20% off. I guess this is adulthood? But seriously, the floss is one of my favorite adult discoveries. I mentioned this recently, but I never go anywhere without floss! I also noticed these Rael blemish covers are included. They’re a great “emergency” buy — I’ve used a few times when in real deep waters. And these adorable Teamson brand play kitchens for kids are on sale, too! We bought one of them for the children last Christmas and they love it.
+A navy capelet to throw on over anything and everything this fall/winter.
+Goop just launched a limited edition package of our beloved Goopglow Exfoliator. It’s the same formula and everything, but the package is so pretty. This would be a beautiful gift for a loved one / mother / sis / etc, wrapped up with a big velvet bow in cellophane. It’s too early to talk seriously about holiday gifts, but if Christmas were tomorrow, I’d tell you my top three recs for sisters are this exfoliator, a Quince sweater, or an LL Bean tote monogrammed with a fun nickname / inside joke on the side.
+A game I’m adding to our cupboard for when we have friends/family in town for the holidays, and a new devotional I’m contemplating. I really enjoyed the ritual of working my way through Cleere Reeves’ one, which I wrote about earlier this week. I found it was too intense to read it daily, so ended up picking it up more casually, when I felt I needed something extra in the morning.
+I shared a little photo of mini a few days ago and was surprised by how many mamas wanted to know her outfit deals! Little fashionista! She was wearing this cardigan (40% off!), these leggings (also 40% off), and these sherpa clogs (a Birk Boston lookalike). More of my daughter’s fall clothes here — she picked almost all of them herself.
+Vuori just released the coziest waffle knit beanies. Eyeing one for morning walks with Tilly. While we’re talking morning walk hygge, how good is this oversized fleece from Everlane?
+This sparkling skirt is on super sale. Fab buy for the holiday season!
+Love the fit of these jeans. ($70!)
+Christina Dickson sent me some of her beautiful fall table linens a few weeks ago and I especially love this hunter green set of patterned placemats and napkins. Gorgeous for all the upcoming holidays — from Thanksgiving through Christmas and New Year’s!
+PaperCape just released the cutest holiday patterns. Love these and these.
+Another perfect G. Label cardigan.
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Loving the specificity of both this prompt and all the answers! During the last four years, I have given up both alcohol and coffee due to some deleterious side effects, both physical and mental. Giving up coffee significantly reduced my anxiety, and alcohol had randomly – and distressingly – started to make me vomit any time I’d drink even one small glass, so I quit cold turkey!
Now, I have one cup of black tea in the morning (I love Darjeeling but sometimes have English Breakfast.) I love our Fellow electric kettle for its precise temperature controls (esp since my fiancé sometimes still drinks coffee) Throughout the day and evening, I drink water from a 20oz Yeti tumbler, and I will often also have a Spindrift at lunch (my faves are Nojito above all, as well as any of the citrus options, in partic Blood Orange Tangerine!) Sometimes I will have green tea in the afternoon (genmaicha is my fave) or, in the cooler months, will sometimes indulge in a matcha latte or London Fog, which I make with my beloved USB-rechargeable whisk!
At night, I generally do still drink some sort of special “cocktail” as a marker between day and evening. This ranges from a San Pellegrino Momenti (seltzer with a splash of juice) to Spindrift (if in a pinch), seltzer with bitters, or if it’s a celebratory occasion, I’ll make a faux Negroni with Sanbitter. I’ve also used Crodino in the past, though that’s more like Aperol. Sometimes it’s hard to be a teetotaler because I find that soooo many mocktails and other non-alcoholic options are crazy sweet, and I greatly prefer a bitter or herbaceous flavor profile for drinks! If there are only sweet or soda-esque options on hand, I’ll stick with water. That said, Casamara makes pretty good non-alc amaro sodas — they’re not too sweet and serve as a good standby for beach days and other occasions where I want something more exciting than Spindrift (though I do LOVE Spindrift!)
xx
These are GREAT! Thanks for sharing the non-alcoholic options. Not sure if you’re a beer girl, but Mr. Magpie occasionally enjoys the N/A beers from Athletic. He says that they taste like a good IPA and afford the experience / ritual of having a beer, but without the buzz.
xx
Thank you for the rec! I was never traditionally a beer girl, except for on rare occasions usually involving physical exertion in the summer (sooo refreshing!), but I was recently also diagnosed with celiac, so most N/A beer is a no-go for me, unfortunately 🙁
xx
Aww – sorry to hear!!
my brother just gifted us a Moccamaster (an over the top. birthday gift, three months late, in charming brotherly style haha) and oh my gosh, it really is superb. The coffee is perfect, of course, but it’s also just such a gorgeous machine. We drink it black and rotate between a few Chicago-based roasters for beans. Do we need to put the Fellow grinder on our Christmas list?!?
we drink red nearly every nights and aren’t ashamed to say that we’re still in the boxed wine income bracket, haha. We’ll open a nice bottle on weekends (we’re on a willamette valley pinot kick this fall) but daily pours are good ole bota box. I’m fussy about glassware though! I like a jam jar glass most nights but we use our “special” glasses from Gabriel Glas to zshush up a normal night. We drank out of Gabriel Glas at a tiny wine bar in Ghent and ordered a set from the bar. They’re the best.
Hi! AH! So glad you love the Moccamaster, too. It really is attractive — the kind of appliance you don’t mind leaving out.
Love the idea of “zshushing” up a normal night with fancy glasses — such a cute idea. Thanks for sharing that!
xx
I love how specific this is! Every single morning I make a latte using our Gaggia Classic Pro, freshly ground beans from our latest Trade shipment, and 2% milk. I never deviate! My husband and I will often whip up “mini lattes” with one shot of espresso each mid morning.
Otherwise I’m drinking water from a 32 oz Takeya bottle all day, and sometimes I’ll have plain green tea in the afternoon.
My evening beverages are: a hard cider if I’m in the mood (currently enjoying Blake’s Caramel Apple, so fun for fall), coconut water if I’ve been to a sweaty workout class, and red wine on the weekends (California Cabernet Sauvignon forever).
Love all of this — thank you for sharing. Blake’s Caramel Apple sounds delightful. Also, I’m heading out to California wine country in a few weeks and cannot wait to sample!! Do you have a favorite vineyard / bottle / etc?
xx
Oh my gosh, yes! Ridge Vineyards, specifically the Lytton Springs tasting room in Healdsburg. They have the best Zinfandel and red blends. Wherever you go, you will have the best time — my husband and I lived in SF for a year and miss wine country so much.
Thank you for the recs!! I am so excited. I’ve been out there once before but when I was much younger!
My seasonal fall cocktail is a Back Forty, which is basically a maple whiskey sour. I also like to keep a half gallon of fresh apple cider in the fridge and just swig directly out of it like the classy person I am. I don’t really do hot drinks unless I’m somewhere where someone insists on serving me tea, so other than that it’s the Brita filter’s finest cold tap water.
Oh my gosh – there are some things, especially juice and gatorade, that just tastes better drunk right out of the bottle, fridge door open. Apple cider is definitely one of those things.
xx
Depending on what the day holds, I either fire up the nespresso and milk frother for a latte or make a French press (switching between Irving Farm, Big Mouth and Little Wolf- all wonderful and all roast local to their brick and mortar). I try to limit stopping by my local coffeeshop to the weekends for an oat latte but it’s a not a foolproof system.
Throughout the day I do my best with water but usually go in for a second cup of coffee mid-morning or a decaf early afternoon. I cycle through phases with tea but am generally always partial to an Earl Grey or a Lady Grey. There’s also a delightful herbal tea (lemon, lavender, mint) from Teasim I had out to dinner in college with visiting grandparents that I begged the waiter to divulge the secret of, which brings back lovely memories.
I’ve been leaning strongly into red wine lately (Antinori and Ruffino’s Chianti Classico + a couple delightful Portuguese options from the Dão region). Always looking for good recommendations! I moved away from my beloved wine store and have yet to find one locally that gives good recommendations and direction.
All of this sounds amazing — I love Irving Farm coffee (there was a store not far from us on the UWS that I used to treat myself to every now and then), and thanks for the Teaism rec. Based on your note and M’s below, I’m going to pay more attention to which bottles of everyday red really delight us. I know some of them by label but can’t recall them off the top of my head. Will report back!
xx
My beloved PopPop had Parkinson’s (as did 4 other family members), we love Michael J. Fox in our house!! Thrilled to learn that Mr. Magpie is involved.
Hi Kelly! I am so sorry to hear that — it is such a devastating disease. I’m glad you found MJF though – such a light, for so many reasons.
xx
I drink black coffee, brewed in my MoccaMaster, every morning while reading Magpie 🙂
I would love to know your favorite everyday, affordable reds! The bottles you grab and don’t think twice about opening on a Tuesday. I need a go to, and our tastes align based on what you shared above!
!! Thank you so much for inviting me into your day, and I love that we’re twinning with our Moccamaster-brewed coffee.
For reds: I wish I had a better answer for this, but we try a lot of different bottles and enjoy discovering new wine shops that carry different labels. We tag all of our wine bottles with colored stickers to give us a general sense of their price/worth. Greens are $10-$20, yellows are $20-30, etc. So we usually grab greens for casual weeknights. But I’ll try to focus more on which ones we especially like?
xx
Oh I love this system! And I also like trying new bottles…probably why I don’t have a go-to ha!
And PS – LOVED the MJF documentary!