One of the season’s most memorable nights took place before the summer equinox had even begun. On Memorial Day Sunday, longtime friends Aaron Deary, partner and beverage director at R&D, one of Fishtown’s best craft cocktail bars, and Rob Scott, beverage director at Almanac, the acclaimed Japanese-American cocktail bar in Old City, teamed up for a “’90s Cocktails and Vibes” pop-up. Their “main focus was simply to have fun.”
In the ’90s and early 2000s, drinking culture was “silly and new,” Deary told the writer Olga Grudinina. The goal was to create a nostalgic atmosphere that reminded people “how fun and unserious cocktails can be.”
Of course, these “silly season” drinks only appear effortless. Most go through multiple iterations before making the menu. “Each drink is final when we think it’s perfect,” Deary says. “We won’t serve a cocktail till it checks all the boxes.”
Calling Scott one of the city’s best beverage directors, Deary also pointed to Philadelphia’s collaborative bar scene. “Philadelphia has one of the best craft cocktail scenes in the country,” he says. “Bar teams and beverage directors here are incredibly creative, and the Philadelphia community truly embraces innovative drinks and experiences.”
In this issue, the writer Emily Melvin goes behind the scenes of a mesmerizing, music-inspired mural featuring flower-like gramophones by Jaq “Jingle” Masters, an artist who didn’t grow up knowing they were one. In addition to murals, they are also known for their tattoos and first began dabbling in the art in 2018. Like their murals, their tattoos draw on neo-traditional, spiritual, Afro-futurist, and nostalgic influences. They also make their services financially accessible. For an entire year, Masters offered free zodiac-themed tattoos, releasing flash sheets (featuring pre-drawn tattoo designs) with invitations like, “Free tattoos for Black, queer, and trans Cancers while slots are available.”
A recent flash sheet featured a butterfly with a Doberman’s face in place of its thorax, a sunflower with a human eye at its center, and a three-headed king cobra.
KoKo Monroe believes sewing appeals to people because it blends creativity and self-expression with practicality. Beyond allowing people to make garments that fit their bodies and reflect their personal style, she notes the process itself can be therapeutic and meditative while offering an alternative to fast fashion. At VIIXVII Sewing Studio (pronounced Seven Seventeen and named for her son’s birthday), she creates custom designs — she’s currently working on a wedding gown — and teaches sewing lessons for adults and children ages 6 and up.
“By passing down these skills, I’m not just teaching kids how to sew — I’m teaching self-reliance, patience, creative confidence, and sustainability. Keeping these traditions alive ensures that quality craftsmanship and ethical fashion continue to thrive for generations to come,” she said.
Monroe says there’s an incredible sense of pride that comes from turning a simple piece of fabric into something wearable.
And finally, the writer Jennifer Amato delves into the menu — and the thinking behind it — at Bastia, the highly touted restaurant in Hotel Anna & Bel. “Philadelphia has a deep love for Italian cuisine, but Corsican and Sardinian food offers a genuinely different lens — heartier, more rustic, with French influences woven in,” Galli Arbel, the director of the hotel’s brand, explained of the distinct flavors that feel fresh, but not foreign.
I hope you enjoy these stories, each highlighting people who make things by hand. Taken as a whole, this issue reflects the wide-ranging creativity in Fishtown and the surrounding areas. As always, thank you for reading.
Enjoy!
