A birthday party without cake
Candles in a Tarte Tatin with homemade vanilla ice cream for dad’s 70th.
Will I actually ever be OOO though?
Honestly I don’t know if I need more brain-boosting supplements (I’m only half kidding), but the days have been flying by lately. I find myself relying on my calendar just to remember what I’ve done because it’s the only way I can track how much has actually happened in a given week. We decided to stay out in the Hamptons for July and I’m really trying to avoid the whole back-and-forth shuffle between the city and out East. My goal is to consolidate all my meetings into the next three weeks so I can have a more relaxed summer (fingers crossed).
So for now, that means stacking my schedule and trying to power through all the travel and logistics before summer mode officially begins. But that being said, some of you DM’ed me after last week’s newsletter saying you were overwhelmed just reading my schedule and I’m feeling the same way lol. Everything is so jam-packed right now that it’s teetering on overwhelming… so here’s hoping this plan actually works out and I’m able to put my phone on do not disturb mode for even a few days.
Pineapple yuzu and blueberry lavender beer = the future?
I’ve talked a lot about celebrity wellness brands but another major category that’s just as successful-yet-saturated is liquor (Kendall Jenner’s controversial 818 Tequila surpassed a $500 million valuation).
I’m really interested in following this space more closely which is why I was so excited to meet with the founder of Girl Beer, a new RTD beer brand that I think has real legs. I tried the pineapple yuzu flavor and it was honestly really great. I’m not a big beer-drinker so that says something. The branding is super clever: playful, disruptive, and sharp in a way that feels aligned with where the category is headed.
What I love most is that they’re not afraid to poke fun at themselves and that level of community engagement is something that traditional beer companies haven’t been doing. One of the reviews on the site reads “ANHEUSER-BUSCH WILL DESTROY YOU” and another just says “I don’t get it” lol. Just a great example of a product almost everyone interacts with that hasn’t really gotten the fun treatment. Kind of like what Liquid Death did for canned water. I’m definitely keeping an eye on this one.
A birthday in Bridgehampton without the cake
We threw a birthday dinner for my dad in Bridgehampton and it turned into one of those nights I’ll remember forever. Five of his seven kids were there plus a few close family friends. About 22 of us in total. The vibe was super intimate, thoughtful, and just all around very him.
Not many people know this but my dad started his career as a songwriter. He was really into film in high school, didn’t go to college, and somehow found his way into entertainment through music. He started writing songs with my Uncle Bruce (Bruce Roberts) and they’ve been collaborators ever since. Bruce, by the way, has written for legends like Donna Summer and Cher and my dad has worked with Dionne Warwick and Celine Dion.
We gave everyone a prompt and hid it under their dinner plate and then part two of the prompt was a word (noun, verb, or adjective) that went into a collective Mad Lib. My little brother read it aloud at the end of the night and it was hilarious. We surprised my dad after dinner with a little living room concert. We had a keyboard set up and Bruce performed some of the songs they wrote together over the years. It was really magical.
Don’t judge but my dad hates cake so I tapped the pastry chef Priscilla Scaff-Mariani to come up with something special for the candle moment. She made this stunning oversized Tarte Tatin, his favorite, and paired it with homemade vanilla bean ice cream. Honestly I don’t have much of a sweet tooth (must have gotten it from my dad lol) but it was divine.
And because my dad also loves a good cocktail, my little sister brought in a mixologist for a pre-dinner cocktail hour. So the night flowed perfectly: cocktails, dinner with the table prompts, dessert, and then the music. These moments always feel so bittersweet because it feels as if they don’t happen nearly enough, where everyone is under the same roof at the same time, but I keep reminding myself that I need to practice gratitude as opposed to feeling nostalgic before the moment has even passed.
Hannah’s List Recs
Beekeeper’s Naturals vitamin C packets. They’re so tiny that I keep a few in my purse at all times and I’m always having them in the back of an Uber when I’m rushing to yet another flight lol.
My sleep schedule is all over the place since I’m constantly switching up time zones and the Alice mushroom sleep chocolates are a delicious game changer. They help me fall asleep no matter what city I’m in and the best part is they don’t leave me groggy, so when Claude comes bouncing into my room at 6am… I can actually wake up and function like a real human being.
Drumroll please because I’ve found my new favorite jeans and they’re from a from a brand called Ruti. These are SO comfortable and the denim is the perfect washed-out baby blue. It’s a barrel-leg style but with a slightly wider cut, so the shape feels interesting and flattering.
Also: obsessed with the Mango dress I’m wearing in the selfie. I’m usually not into high necklines and long lengths at the same time but for dinner parties where I’m running around after my kids, it’s kind of perfect. I love the puffed hem at the bottom too. Adds a little something extra.
Parents, if you haven’t gotten Magna-Tiles yet, get them and thank me later.
As for the rest of my week: I had a four-hour long acupuncture session with a therapist who told me I was put on this earth to break generational trauma… but I will discuss that more thoroughly in Friday’s newsletter. Talk soon.
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