Retail Therapy 046: Coffee, Rom-Coms, and The Drink of the Summer
What's your dream celeb hang? GO.
Listen to Retail Therapy on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and anywhere else podcasts are found. Apologies for no video this week as our loyal producer, Randy, is on a well-deserved vacation.
Well, we made a pretty big announcement during this episode outside of The Drink of the Summer. While most people heard this announcement last week, I’m pressing ‘pause’ on The Sunday Scaries Podcast ahead of the birth of our second child. This will not only free up some time for me to enjoy with my family, but it will also give The Sunday Scaries Podcast some much-needed breathing room. Don’t worry, it’s not gone forever.
So with that being said, yes, the good news — Retail Therapy will become a weekly show in favor of a bi-weekly show. We’re elated.
Okay, now what everyone wants to hear about.
It’s Official: The Drink of the Summer (Kind of.)
After weeks upon weeks of deliberating, we finally made the call on the drink of the summer. Well, kind of. You’ll have to listen for our official stance from Retail Therapy, but here are recipes for each of our personal DOTS.
Will: The Americano
1½ ounces Campari
1½ ounces sweet vermouth
Club soda
Orange twist, for garnish
Fill a glass with ice, combine all ingredients, stir gently, and enjoy.
Barrett: White Negroni
1½ ounces gin
1½ ounces Lillet Blanc
½ ounce Suze liqueur
Lemon twist
Combine everything over ice, give it a stir to get it ice cold, enjoy like six of them.
If you’ve got your own personal drink that you found yourself gravitating to this summer, we’d love to hear about it.
Are we… coffee snobs?
I know, I know, we probably (most definitely) are in some respect. After all, the whole point of Retail Therapy in the first place is to be a bit snobby.
Barrett and I both replaced our coffee machines recently, so it was only right that we gave some reviews of the machines we purchased in addition to talking about everything else we inadvertently spend too much money on when it comes to coffee.
I got the Cuisinart Grind & Brew Coffeemaker while Barrett picked up the Moccamaster KBGV Select Coffee Brewer.
Favorite beans? Single origin? Go-to mugs? Dishwasher safe? Honestly, coffee is one of those things we could’ve filled an episode with. Maybe we need to get our own roast. Maybe.
Seeing Your Ideal Blunt Rotation Hanging Out Without You
You know when you’re busy and can’t go out and you know everyone’s just hanging out without you, laughing and laughing and laughing? Well that’s how I felt this weekend when I saw this tweet featuring Florence Pugh, Andrew Garfield, Phoebe Bridgers, Lucy Dacus and Kate Berlant hanging out at a pub in London. Here’s photographic evidence since Substack won’t let me embed a tweet because El*n suuuuuuuuuuuuuucks.
This conversation came at an opportune time when we saw Kylie making out with Timothee, and while I’ve been absolutely fixated on Miles Teller wearing the same Dead & Co. hat whenever he hangs out with Chace Crawford. Oh, and Jacob Elordi having lunch with the dude who directed Call Me By Your Name.
Paul Mescal and Phoebe Waller-Bridge… if you’re still smoking drunk cigs on a stoop somewhere, please come find me when you leave.
The Rom-Comaissance is upon us.
It’s fall which means two things: brown liquor and rom-coms. Sometimes at the same time. Okay, mostly at the same time.
With the news about Meg Ryan dropping a rom-com with David Duchovny, it was time to have a brief conversation about the state of romantic comedies. Are we about to enter another golden age for them? Is Glen Powell potentially the new Matthew McConaughey? When’s the right time to start watching You’ve Got Mail? Answers to those questions and more.
Oh, and Barrett couldn’t come up with a list of his favorite rom-coms on the spot so we promised we’d include them here. Here are his favorites:
Barrett’s Favorite Rom-Coms
It's Complicated
Just Go With It
Crazy Stupid Love
You've Got Mail
Just Married
Honorable Mentions
Palm Springs
Friends with Benefits
Love & Other Drugs
Wedding Crashers
Something's Gotta Give
13 Going On 30
(Barrett's note: Wedding Crashers landed at one of the most formative times of my life and holds a deeply nostalgic place in my heart. It's undoubtedly the movie on this list I've seen the most, but does it actually count as a RomCom? I don't know where I land on that question, so it's not in my top five here.)
Of course, we closed things out with our wishlists and imminent cops.
For 2023, we’ve hit the reset button on our wishlists and made them a bit more digestible for the year ahead. To access the complete version of our 2022 wishlists, look no further than our final Listener Digest of 2022. New items in bold.
Will’s Wishlist (2023)
YSL Patent Tortoise Le Loafers ($895) — Link
AYR Sweatpants ($145) — Link
Pebble Strike Match Holder by Houseplant ($125) — Link
NikeCraft General Purpose Shoe —Link(Bought/Returned)Sangre de Fruta Garden of Earthly Delights Body Wash ($48) —Link(Purchased.)New Balance 574 Legacy (MKT) — Link
Bode Kids Lace Shirt ($198) —Link(Too ridiculous.)Aime Leon Dore Eyelet Knit Shorts (Sold Out) —Link(Tried on, too heavy.)Birkenstock Kyoto Suede Leather Gray ($220) — Link
Manresa Corn Neck Shorts ($105) —LinkAdidas Adilette 22 Slides ($60) —Link(Not into them anymore.)Football: Designing the Beautiful Game Book ($45) —Link(Bought this instead.)Stussy Heavyweight Pigment Dyed LS Tee ($65) —Link(Purchased — love it.)UTurn Turntable Weight & Cork Mat —Link(Purchased, love both items.)Vintage Early 90s 1/1 Grateful Dead Tee(Someone else purchased, ugh.)Custom Vans ($90) — Link
Aime Leon Dore Vinyl Slip Mat ($75) —Link(I don’t need $75 slip mats)New: Drake’s Shetland Sweater ($345) — Link
Barrett’s Wishlist (2023)
Loewe Puzzle Cardholder ($335) —Link(Removed from my list, as I went for a Smythson option for under $100 during the SSENSE sale.)R13 Beige Kurt Sneakers ($470) —Link(Also snagged for deep discount during the SSENSE sale.)Le Labo Fragrances ($220) — The Matcha 26 | Another 13
Homme Plisse Issey Miyake “Color Pleats” ($325) —Link(I did indeed cop a pair of these, right before it got excruciatingly hot, of course.)Polo Country Ball Cap ($55)— Link (Sold out.)Moscot Yontif Sunglasses in Blonde ($340) — Link
John Elliott Patchwork Military Shirt Jacket ($998) — Link
Todd Snyder Seersucker Weekender Shirt ($118) — Link
Birkenstock EVA Arizona ($50) —Link(Purchased)OAS Bohemia Swim Shorts ($90) —Link(Purchased)J.Crew 6” Tech Dock Short ($70) —Link(Purchased but returned. Last year's were better.)Made In Carbon Steel Griddle + Press ($199) — Link
Uniqlo Utility Short Coat ($80) — Link
Moccamaster KBGV Select Coffee Brewer ($359) —Link(Purchased.)Supreme Inside Out Crewneck ($148) — Link
New: Revival Rugs “Shell” Area Rug in Evergreen ($399)— Link
Listen to Retail Therapy on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, YouTube (see above), and anywhere else podcasts are found.
I love seeing "Crazy Stupid Love" on Barrett's list. I'd be interested in Barrett's (and Will's updated!) takes on best fall-themed or centered movies, rom com or not.