1. Pull a Pour or Two at NonFiction Natural Wines
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
How does a wine bar win over a devoted beer lover? With interesting, curated wine selections that fly well outside the stereotypical white/red and are helpfully talked through by knowledgeable and patient staff happy to pour samples. With a gorgeous minimalist space that makes you feel at once fancy and comfortable in shorts and a t-shirt. With similarly elegant but tasty snacks. Any questions? (2563 S. Kinnickinnic Ave.)
2. Shop at Milwaukee’s Two New Romance Bookstores
BRIANNA SCHUBERT, DIGITAL EDITOR
I recently wrote about Milwaukee’s two new romance bookstores on North Avenue, The Well Red Damsel and Thirst. You can read more about them – and the rise in popularity of romance across the country – in the August issue, but for now, get over there and shop! I (officially) went to both for the first time this weekend to shop with my friend Megan, and we had so much fun perusing the shelves and the little goodies scattered throughout each of the spaces. I bought a bookmark, some stickers, a cat tarot deck and Deep End by Ali Hazelwood. Excited to read it and even more excited to get back to those stores.
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
3. Go to the State Fair
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
For 174 years, Wisconsinites have gathered for the State Fair. Could the 15,000 people attending that first event in 1851 have possibly imagined the deep-fried insanity, barnyard bonanza, and cream puff cavalcade that make up the modern fair? I think not. And yet I hope, somewhere on the other side of this mortal coil, they would be proud. This year’s State Fair kicks off on Thursday at 10 a.m. Want to know more about what to expect? Well, I just so happened to write a little story about what I learned at the State Fair preview event – you can read that here.
4. Pour Yourself a Glass of Ghia
ANN CHRISTENSON, DINING EDITOR
Ghia – an L.A. company whose line of nonalcoholic aperitifs are meant to mimic the bitterness and intensity of (modestly alcoholic) Italian aperitifs – has been getting a lot of buzz in the tipsy-less drinking industry. I wanted to try their Lime & Salt mocktail, described as a “dip in the Mediterranean.” Boy is it lovely! But first and foremost, it’s not too salty. The salinity is like little tiny raindrops. The drink – which I enjoyed, over ice, inside my favorite Normann Copenhagen whiskey glass – is bitter and tart and very subtly sweet. It’s also a pretty shade of peony pink. I love bitter cocktails and this one made my N/A night.
5. Cool Off at the Pool
EVAN MUSIL, ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR
It’s hot. You don’t need me to tell you this. That muggy, suffocating feeling should be reason alone to go to the pool this week. Never mind the crowds and the hassle – you only get one time of the year to go, and wading into chilly waters and finding that sweet relief from the heat is one of the best feelings in life. Any pool will do, but you can start looking with the Tosa Pool at Hoyt Park, the Sheridan Park Pool in Cudahy, or Wilson Pool in Milwaukee.
