ON THE BAR: Judith Beck @ Wild Child

plus: taco night + N/A glory

Happy New Year, pals.

Big gratitude to all who joined us to party and say farewell to 2024—we threw some real bangers that were, spiritually speaking, deeply needed. Bless y’all for finding something shiny to wear and knocking back some good wine with us.

We have some fun planned as we ease into 2025 (reminder that Wild Child and Dear Annie are back from winter break, but Rebel returns on 1/15), and I’m outlining that here for you.

Before I do that, there’s one thing I’ve been thinking about quite a bit recently: How can we bring the analogue to the everyday in our spaces this year, and how might that be a radical act of resistance in an age that puts global politics in the incapable hands of tech bros with fragile egos?

I have some ideas about what that might look like, but if you’re so inclined, I’d like to hear yours, too. Would you tolerate a cash-only bar in this, the ApplePay era? Would you pick up the phone to make a reservation if it was the only way to get one? Do you pay attention to flyers stapled to telephone poles these days, or only when they feature the visage of a lost pet?

I’m curious and determined to stick it to the man. Let me know what you think.

MEET YOUR MAKER @ WILD CHILD

I’m excited to let you know that our first Wednesday night tasting of 2025 will be hosted by Austrian winemaker Judith Beck on 1/15 from 5-7PM at Wild Child!

Known internationally as one of the leading winemakers in the natural wine movement, Judith's wines show consistent precision and focus, remaining among our favorites, year after year.

Judith Beck’s estate – located in Gols, in northeastern Burgenland – was founded by her parents in the 1970s. After producing her first vintage in 2001, Judith took full control of the winery in 2004, drawing on the knowledge and experience garnered during her time studying at the Klosterneuburg Viticulture College and working at renowned wineries in France, Italy, and Chile.

In 2007, Judith began transitioning her entire operation to biodynamics, inspired by the ideas of Rudolf Steiner and the virtues of ecological responsibility and sustainability. For Beck, minimal intervention is the name of the game; she harvests by hand, leaves her wines unfined and unfiltered, and adds either zero or minimal SO2.

Judith will be at Wild Child pouring 5 of her wines, and she'll be available to chat and talk shop for the duration of the tasting. This is an open-house format, so feel free to come and go as you please! As always, tasting wines can be purchased for 10% off during the event. Please RSVP so we know how much glassware to polish :)

TACO NITE @ DEAR ANNIE

Chef Junior has been talking about a taco night for… ever. And the time has finally come to make his dreams come true!

Join us next Sunday the 19th for a special menu of pescatarian + vegetarian Mexican delights, plus Mexican wines by Bichi and MICHELADAS (NA versions and agua fresca will be available for those of you observing Dry January)!

THE MENU

Frijoles Borrachos! Drunken beans with smoked mackerel

Sopa de Tortilla! Tortilla soup with mushroom conserva

Tacos de Pescado! Fried Snapper, coleslaw, corn aioli

Tacos de Camarón! Fried shrimp, coleslaw, lime and jalapeno aioli

Tacos de Coliflor! Roasted cauliflower with taco spice, pickled red onion

(Our snacks, salad, and crudo from the regular menu will also be available.)

This is an a la carte menu with no tickets required, but it’s a good idea to make a reservation!

THIS JUST IN: UNIFIED FERMENTS X KETTL

Sober pals, rejoice! We just got a tiny little drop of the very limited-release Unified Ferments x Kettl collab kombucha! These treats are already sold out in New York, so I guess sometimes it pays to be a secondary market.

If you don’t know Unified, you should (whether you’re sober or not). Based in Brooklyn, they make our favorite kombuchas, and they’re one of only three NA beverages we think are good enough to pour alongside our wines at Rebel and Dear Annie. I hesitate to call them kombucha when describing them (even though that’s decidedly what they are) because they’re way more elegant than their brethren fermented teas. This collab with Kettl, the cult single-origin Japanese tea importer, was highly anticipated, and these babies do not disappoint. We have just a few bottles of each (the Jou Yanagi Houjicha, Nagano Soba Cha, and Kukicha), so pop on over to our online shop and reserve yours while they’re here!

AND FINALLY

Please enjoy the Ultimate January Song (according to me only): “People on Sunday” by Domenique Dumont, a collaboration between Latvian multi-instrumentalist and producer Arturs Liepins and vocalist, ethnomusicologist Anete Stuce.