Sweet Tea: The libation situation

Not to brag, but I invented a cocktail for this week’s edition. Hope you’re thirsty. (Has anyone ever actually quenched their thirst with an alcoholic beverage? We’ll keep some water on hand.)

WHAT’S ATLANTA’S SIGNATURE DRINK?

You can’t go wrong with peaches, but we have some other ideas. (Courtesy of Pearson Farm)

With the World Cup putting Atlanta on the global stage, the creative juices fueling our collective identity are going wild.

If Atlanta were a cocktail, what would it be? What flavor would embody our spirit so perfectly it would reach the iconic heights of, say, the mint julep or the azalea cocktail?

Peaches, the obvious choice

Peach on the Pitch, a new creation from Atlanta’s Fawn Wine & Amaro Bar and Murrell’s Row Spirits, combines a peach syrup made with fruit from Pearson Farm in Fort Valley with locally made gin.

Meanwhile, Atlanta’s FIFA World Cup events have their own peachy signature. The Crown Peach cocktail features peach whiskey, passion fruit, lime and ginger beer.

🍑 READ MORE: How Peach on the Pitch came to be

Other humble flavor and spirit suggestions:

• Sweet tea: We are called Sweet Tea, after all. Tea and alcohol can be a divisive combo for some, but of course it always stands on its own.
• Pecans: Georgia is the top pecan-producing state in the country, and a good pecan liqueur can be life-changing.
• Cognac: This French brandy is an icon of Black culture, and where would Atlanta be without Black culture?

Wait, I have an idea! It’s brewing. It’s being born …

✨ Pecan Divinity ✨

Take a classic Southern treat with Georgia roots and Georgia-grown pecans and mix it with some Atlanta flair. It would be like a Brandy Alexander: Cognac, pecan liqueur and cream. Maybe with a pinch of lemon zest muddled with sugar as garnish to brighten it up. Eureka, y’all.

REFLECTIONS FROM A DANCE PIONEER

The ATL Hawks Dancers and Calvin Brown at work. (Courtesy of Atlanta Hawks)

It’s Pride Month and in my version of Southern hospitality, y’all most definitely means all. LGBTQ+ Southerners are a font of bravery, spirit and resilience — and we’re grateful to hear their stories.

For five years, Atlanta Hawks dancer Calvin Brown saw the highest highs and lowest lows of being a gay man in a female-dominated role.

• When he joined the ATL Dancers, there hadn’t been a man on the Hawks dance team in 18 years, let alone a gay man. Some fans would even ask him to be excluded from photos, or say they didn’t want their children around him.
• “This is how the world is,” he told the AJC. “But at the same time I was like, wow, this low-key hurts my feelings.”
• Over time, the good began to shine through. Fans sought him out to say how much they appreciated him. In one memorable interaction, a father told Brown how happy he had made his child, and Brown ended up signing the child’s jersey.
• “That was like the biggest core memory that I will always have,” he said.
• Support from his fellow dancers went a long way, too.

Now, Brown is moving on to pursue other dancing opportunities. Behind him, he leaves an easier road for other LGBTQ+ dancers to follow.

🕺🏾READ MORE: How Brown made the squad and what he’s learned

SIPS FROM AROUND THE SOUTH

⛑️ Columbia, SC: The city of Columbia launched a first-of-its-kind Naloxone vending program. Naloxone, or Narcan, is used to stop opioid overdoses. The vending program features real-time advice and step-by-step directions for administering the drug. The tamper-proof stations were installed with the help of local emergency service providers. More from the Columbia Star

⛳ Cherokee, NC: A Flag Day golf tournament organized by the Appalachian Warrior Tribe, a veterans organization, turned into a fundraiser for an 84-year-old Navy vet whose home was severely damaged by a falling tree. The tournament also benefited local veterans with disabilities. More from the Smoky Mountain Times

🎙️ Chattanooga, TN: In honor of America’s 250th anniversary, the city is celebrating its music legacy. Two key benchmarks: The 1941 hit “Chattanooga Choo Choo,” and the rise of Chattanooga-born hip-hop star Isaiah Rashad. (I appreciate his extremely valid observation that incorporating his hometown in his work is harder than it seems because “Chattanooga” is a weird word to rap.) More from the Chattanooga Times Free Press