On Tuesday, December 8th, Darling partnered with Women & Whiskies to throw a holiday bash in San Francisco. It was a magical evening filled with lots of holiday cheer and of course, whiskey. Considering that Women & Whiskies is all about empowering women with knowledge to enable them to be more comfortable tasting, talking about, and buying whiskey, this partnership was a no brainer, and the cocktails did not disappoint.
A favorite drink was the stocking stuffer:
Stocking Stuffer
1.5 oz Glen Grant
1/2 oz lemon
1/2 oz grapefruit
1/2 oz Apricot Liqueur
Bar spoon of simple
Shake and serve on the stem.
We asked the winners of the Women & Whiskies x Darling Instagram giveaway, Abby Veach and Caitlin Robb, to share about their experience at the holiday soirée. And, by the way, they flew out from Texas with only four days notice specifically to attend this event. Here is what they had to say:
As a senior at Baylor University in Texas, the past few months have been saturated with stress and trying to pacify the achiever in me who doesn’t know what her plans are after graduating, so it came as a spontaneous blessing when my roommate won tickets to the Women & Whiskies x Darling Holiday Party in San Francisco. We booked a cheap flight and a hostel, stuffed our booties in our backpacks and despite finals week, decided that the opportunity to exchange words with these whiskey women was far more valuable than two days of studying for astronomy.
After Instagram stalking the guest list and applying our favorite lipstick color, we made our way to the party, anxious and excited to be in the same room with some of the most inspiring women we knew, and we were not disappointed. The decorations, the conversations, and the venue itself embodied all I believed and imagined a Darling event to be. Lit by festive holiday candles and accented by pine and ornaments, the beautifully decorated center table functioned both as a place to feed our bodies as well as our spirits. Being the youngest at an event saturated with beautiful, successful and creative women can be incredibly intimidating, but each woman we talked to made us feel confident and valuable, encouraging us to continue pressing into the journey even when we don’t know its path, but never diminishing our value as equal and beautiful women.
Being the youngest at an event saturated with beautiful, successful and creative women can be incredibly intimidating, but each woman we talked to made us feel confident and valuable …
We sipped whiskey cocktails and discussed careers and future goals, delving deep rather than simply discussing the brand of top we were wearing, although each woman was uniquely and impeccably dressed. As a lover of words, storytelling, beauty and all things Darling, I felt at home among this community of remarkable women. I supported the mission of Darling before this event, but after this event I wholeheartedly believe the creatives we met live out the mission statement of Darling Magazine both in word and deed. And to top it off, I’ve officially become a whiskey woman. My deepest gratitude goes out to Darling Magazine and Women & Whiskies for this dreamy unforgettable night.
Thank you to Rye on the Road for the most perfect venue and craft cocktails, Women & Whiskies for including Darling in this amazing event and for encouraging women to learn about and love whiskey, Kara Elise for curating the festive decor, Chelsea Carter for designing the florals and A16 for the delicious wood oven fire pizzas and appetizers.
To learn more about Women & Whiskies, head over to their website for more delicious cocktail recipes: womenandwhiskies.com.
Images via Kara Dykert
