Are y’all starting to get the hang of this quarantine thing yet? In my neck of the woods, there is a lot of routine: cleaning the house, at-home workouts, home cooked meals, and virtual happy hour…LOTS of virtual happy hours.
Whether it’s friends, family, or colleagues–the people in my life are doing a great job and staying connected in these trying times. Plus, a little adult beverage makes these repetitive days a little more exciting.
Today we’re talking all things virtual happy hour: the platforms to use, games to play, and unique drinks to make. Cheers!
Platform | Virtual Happy Hour
The platform is actually quite important, though it seems like an easy choice. There are a ton of great articles on this subject, like this great one written by Tech Crunch.
We’re calling out a few of our favorites here:
- FaceTime: Don’t know how to add multiple people to one FaceTime call? Read this article from Apple. Everyone in this call must have an iPhone/Mac.
- Skype
- Google Hangout: Everyone in the call must have a Google account.
- Zoom
- House Party: LOVE this one! Alerts you when your friends are online and available to video chat. Great for big groups.
Drinks
For the most part, I like to stick to a simple glass of wine on the weeknights. But as we know…during quarantine, no rules apply.
So we thought we’d find some unique but simple ideas for homemade cocktail recipes. All of these are made with ingredients you probably already have at home, and directions can be found at Cosmopolitan and Town & Country.
Hot N Sassy (Cosmopolitan)
- 1 oz. Pucker Vodka Sour Apple Sass
- 3 slices jalapeños
- 2 slices clementine
- Splash of lime juice
- 1 oz. lemon-lime soda
Deep Cleanse (Town & Country)
- 1.5 oz Hendrick’s Gin
- 2 oz Aloe Vera Juice
- .5 oz simple syrup
- 3 slices cucumber
- Squeeze of fresh lime
Strawberry Blond (Town & Country)
- 2 oz Tanteo Jalapeno
- 1 oz Lime juice
- .75 oz Simple syrup
- 1 Strawberry
Whiskey Smash (Cosmopolitan)
- 2 oz. whiskey
- 1 tsp. sugar
- 2 wedges of lemon
- 3 mint sprigs
- Seltzer
Fountain of Youth (Cosmopolitan)
- 1½ oz. Russian Standard Vodka
- 2 oz. pomegranate juice
- ½ oz thinly sliced ginger
Entertainment For Your Virtual Happy Hour
Although I love catching up with friends and colleagues…after a while, there’s very little “new” in everybody’s lives. Adding in some entertainment with the options below is the perfect way to spice things up.
Dress Up
This one isn’t really a game–but it is super fun to dress up for these calls. Whether it’s in “normal” happy hour attire or dressing to a certain theme, putting on some makeup and fixing your hair will deliver some much-needed normalcy.
Watch Party
If you’re like me and have used this opportunity to get into some new shows, hosting a watch party is a great idea to make this solitary activity seem more communal.
Use services like Netflix Party (find more info here) and invite all your friends, and then you’ll all be watching a show/movie at the exact same time.
Need ideas for what to watch? Check out last week’s blog post breaking down all our favorite shows.
Quiplash
Admittedly, games can be a little challenging with big groups. But luckily, there are plenty of games out there specifically designed for big groups, that work perfectly when playing virtually.
One of our favorites? Quiplash.
Quiplash is the “gut-busting battle of wits and wittiness”. Just use your phone or tablet (no controllers needed) to answer simple prompts. Think Cards Against Humanity, but virtual.
Trivia
Trivia might be old-school…but it’s plenty of fun.
Our advice is to play on Zoom, and have one person be the moderator (usually the person who scored lowest in the last round). The moderator will ask the questions, and then all participants will use the chat feature to send their guess to the moderator.
Simple, classic, and highly entertaining!
To sum it all up…..get creative with these stay at home days and by all means try to have some fun!!
What are your best virtual happy hour tips?
SHESHE’S TIDBITS
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