LET THEA LGO RIT HM MOV E YOU
EVEN MUSIC SNOBS CAN USE SONGS ON TAP
We’re going meta here. If you read enough stories about throwing a party
and head to the bit about music, the advice you’ll get is something along
the lines of: Put some effort into your playlist if you really want to control
the mood of the evening. Or enlist your music-nerd friend. Or hire a DJ.
All good advice, sure, but the reality is, most of us are just shouting,
“Hey, Alexa, play Feist Radio” into the ether while trying to get guests to
use their coasters.
And you know what? Nothing wrong with that. The trick is to know the
right stations to hit up on Spotify and when to deploy them. Here’s a loose
schedule of what to play:The warm-up: Go with something gentle, à la King Krule or Juan Wauters.
People are beginning to arrive: The power move is to go esoteric to start
the conversation and let people know how cool you are. Try some Chilean
pop, like Mon Laferte, or neo-flamenco R&B/pop star Rosalía.conversation. Think Serge Gainsbourg.people randomly add stuff to the queue.
After-after-party: Why not a tipsy ’90s-
trash sing-along to hits everyone knows
from Smash Mouth and Sugar Ray?
Please leave: Silence! Nothing kills a party
like quiet. Or Kenny G’s “Going Home.”64 October 2019_Esquire
Vintage
Martini & Rossi
Old vermouths like this are
getting easier to find at
well-curated liquor stores
and are a relative bargain
for something from an-
other era. Seek them out.
Derrumbes Mezcal
de San Luis Potosí
An agave bottling that isn’t
overwhelmingly smoky—
instead it hits you with big
terroir. Think red pepper,
licorice, and spice.
Marseille Amaro from
Forthave Spirits
A re-creation of a
medieval French amaro
that has unexpected
notes of lemongrass
and eucalyptus.
Pierre Ferrand 10
Generations Cognac
A light, lively, aromatic sip-
per. Opulence in a glass.High Wire Distilling
Watermelon Brandy
Wonderfully weird yet re-
fined. Unforgettable.
Tyrconnell 16
Moscatel Cask
Pour this Irish whiskey and
see who can identify the
vaguely-familiar-but-odd-
in-the-context-of-whiskey
finish. (Yes, it’s muscatel.)
Empirical Spirits
Charlene McGee Blend
A smooth smoke and juni-
per from a company cre-
ated by Noma alums.
Hibiki
The fancy 30th-anniver-
sary bottle of the gateway
Japanese whisky.
Westland Peated
An Islay-level smoky
whiskey made in America.
For the Laphroaig fan who
wants a surprise.Raid the
TOP SHELF
TIME TO DUST OFF THE GOOD STUFF- • • Those “special” bottles you have stored
for a “special occasion”? That’s now. With
your friends. Singular spirits have a way of
creating powerful memories when they’re
the last thing you sip after a fun evening.
Bust them out. They’ll bring back warm
feelings the next time you taste them.—K.S.