Happy Tuesday!

For anyone new here: this is The Skinny, where we serve up curated, need-to-know lifestyle news designed to entertain and save you time, which is everyone’s most valuable resource.

What we’re covering: 

• Seasonal cocktails: from boozy eggnog to ‘zebra striping’ & alcohol-free

• How to build your ultimate travel outfit(s)

• Your mini host/hostess gift guide, underconsumption-style

• Pantry raid: the benefits of bone broth (+ two recipes)

💡Did you know: all The Skinny editions are online and searchable—which means you can easily find topics/recipes/items we have written about in the past. Bookmark this link for reference.

🔗If someone already in the know sent this, you can subscribe here.

Holiday cheers

Next stop: your nog station

The Skinny: It’s eggnog season, and we are enthusiastic fans with a bona fide living room “nog station” set up every December. Even if you’re a vegan, you too can enjoy a long winter’s eggnog nap since apparently there are as many vegan nogs on the market as traditional/dairy versions. 

Find George Washington’s extra boozy nog recipe here, and a video recounting the infamous West Point eggnog incident—an 1820s tale that begins with smuggling and bribery and ends with a drunken 4 a.m. brawl, during which arms were raised and many cadets were expelled.

Our 2024 boozy version, shown above, was inspired by a “London Fog Nog” that Nicole’s mom saw at the theatre bar during a recent “A Christmas Carol” performance, naturally. That version included tea, but we opted for ¼ oz butterscotch schnapps, ½ oz. each of rum and bourbon, stirred gently with store-bought nog and sprinkled with nutmeg. 

And the more festive the gathering, the more reason to consider “Zebra Striping,” which (maybe?) is a UK-originated term but something we’ve put into practice on occasion (and been happy about the morning after). It’s a simple Rx: throughout the eve, alternate each alcoholic drink with something NA, like this Christmas Punch that claims to be “the best.” 

Finally, during a jaunt to Sarasota we met a bartender at Oak & Stone who alerted us to an intriguing morning cocktail concept that we [somehow] hadn’t heard of: bourbon for breakfast (Jameson + butterscotch schnapps). OR, try a “blueberry pancake,” which is butterscotch schnapps with blueberry vodka. Chase with OJ.

Travel in style  

How to build your travel fit

The Skinny: We travel all the time and now admit that a sharp looking travel outfit IS not to be ignored. And a comfortable yet stylish “plane look” is the way to do it. Key factors are comfortable shoes and pants, layers, and compression socks (not just for old people). The place to start: Building the Perfect Travel Outfit, courtesy of CN Traveler; and for the guys, these “Foolproof Outfits” from Travel + Leisure.

And worth mentioning; 

• Airessentials by Spanx: Jill finally felt the fabric on these pants and all we can say is I GET IT!! Gentle and soft, perfect on a plane when the AC is either arctic—or MIA and the plane is boiling hot.  

• If you don’t mind an off-brand Amazon look for less, and we do not, this line has a ton of components to customize—we are seeing the monochromatic look everywhere and it looks as if you know what you’re doing. 

• Compression socks are a must. Not a believer? Do as @denverskindoc suggests and try a flight with a compression sock on one foot, and a regular sock on the other, and see if you can notice a difference. The article also provides some science if you prefer not to feel uneven after your next flight.

Pantry raid  

Home cooking with The Skinny

The Skinny: For those who believe everything on social media, if you’re not guzzling bone broth to cure and/or prevent all ailments, you’re simply not living your best life. While there doesn’t seem to be much “research” behind these claims, if you choose your bone broth wisely (or make your own), it can be a healthy, real food packed with protein and nutrients…so even without a billion “studies” behind it, for those reasons we are on board the BB train.  

While you can just heat and drink broth, we’re fans of using it in recipes so here are two to try: 

1) Bolognese: A friend of ours swears by this recipe (swapping Rao’s for diced tomatoes), and we just made a version using Broth Masters’ Beef & Chicken Bone Broth and a tube of fancy Mutti Tomato Paste picked up at Caputo’s. It was delicioso et simplice—and didn’t require the whole 2-3 hours to reduce. If you want to cut to the chase with ragu alla Bolognese, and cook the only recipe commissioned by the Bologna Chamber of Commerce, watch this. 

2) The “Fat Flush” soup that we’ve made and talked about before, but this week we included one of our new favorite artisanal bone broth brands, Broth Masters. Use this as a base, but with extra added nutrients to help keep you healthy during the holidays. With Broth Masters they guarantee that it’s been slow-simmered for 48 hours—and artisanally prepared by the Broth Masters’ mom, Dorothy! 

We love the Brodo bone broth collection as well…for the flavors (especially Tuscan Sun) because one of us lives in the middle of nowhere, we love that it ships to the house. 

(Aaand while we are in the kitchen, may we suggest treating yourself to this awesome set of Black Walnut cooking utensils?)

Get re-invited

Let’s talk host/hostess gifts

The Skinny: In keeping with our underconsumption-style gift guides, today’s picks are items that are all either meant to last (or be used up), support small businesses, or are handmade (with the exception of the camera. But everyone loves the camera!).

A bottle of olive oil is the best possible offering since you give the gift of health, but it’s something everyone will use (and, for the fancier or flavored varieties, feels splurge-worthy). Our love of Corto olive oil is profound, so we were excited to try their wildly popular Calabrian chili oil, back by demand for the fourth year and, because this oil is so hot, it sold out quickly so you’ll have to get on a waitlist to reserve a bottle. You can also check out becoming a Club Corto member, which honestly is a good value. In addition to getting your money’s worth in products, there are extra perks like cooking classes and one free bottle of limited edition harvest oil. 

To learn how to identify and buy the freshest olive oil, check out our previous deep dive, and for flavored varieties—here is why the Agrumato-Method (used in this Corto oil) is superior in quality and flavor to typical infused varieties. Use it to make chili oil eggs, of course, or for something “swicy,” try it on a salad with citrus and ricotta. 

Pair your olive oil with a set of luxe and tasteful Tulusa cocktail napkins, handmade and block printed by our friend Sue. So for example if you’re gifting the chili oil, we’d recommend these Mehendi napkins for an aesthetically pleasing set. Stock up on a couple different napkin packs so you’ll always have a hostess gift at the ready. Editors’ pick: these awesome cheetah napkins.

This Poloroid camera is a fun gift to give, and because you really care, delivering it with extra film is a must. 

This is new to our team, but a “wine filter” seems to be a great idea, and revolutionary in fact. Removes sulfites, reduces hangovers (we will be the judge of this thankyouverymuch)! Eat, drink and be merry with no lingering reminders. Bring it with a bottle of your favorite wine to stay on the guest list.

Don’t forget everyone’s favorite condiment of 2024, Slawsa, who is offering a custom 4-pack for just $32! And they will handwrite a message for you. (ICYMI, this is where we unleash Slawsa for the first time).

If your host or hostess is the king/queen of pickleball, you can’t go wrong with an NCAA licensed pickleball set or this ultra-soft, vintage inspired Varsity Pickle sweatshirt ($70, available here or on Amazon), which your pickleball-loving host will love on or off the court.

OHM, THERE'S MORE

This week’s newsfeed

• Coffee prices are at a 40 year high…might be time to rethink your pricey takeout order and embrace pour-over.

• The North Face x Skims collab generated a massive amount of media exposure quickly, so in case you managed to miss seeing this, here is the scoop. We are definitely looking forward to testing this out in Colorado!

• We love a good dive bar more than most (shout out to the Turkey’s Nest in Williamsburg) so if this new dive bar fragrance smells like your late night snog and stale beer mats, we’re not sure if we are in or out. 

• Sassoon jeans are back and ooh la la…who is ready to squeeze back into those logo’d pockets? 

*If you purchase something linked in The Skinny, we may get an affiliate commission—but at no additional cost to you.