A Toast to Togetherness: Seasonal Cocktails from BarNoirBoston

Hello! Great to meet you. My name is Kyisha, and I make drinks.

Currently, I make them at my restaurant, the cooperatively owned Tanám in Somerville, and for BarNoirBoston—wherever folks will have me! I’ve worked in hospitality since 2009 and have lived in Boston since 2016. When I’m not shaking, stirring and running the best aux cord game in town (kidding, sort of), I write, sing in my band, tell the truth and ask the internet why my spider plant is mad at me. All year, we’re going to be hanging out together between these pages, exploring some new people, places, flavors, colors and practices. Glad we’re here, together.

Spring has sprung, and 2021 is fully under way. Many of us went all the way through it this past winter—though the seasons always change, it felt especially difficult to deal with the dimly lit days as we approached the sobering first anniversary of the COVID-19 pandemic. As we reflect on the past year, the many articles we’ve shared, conversations we’ve had, online panels we’ve watched, we have been asked a thousand variations of the same question. In kicking off our next year together, I’m going to ask it of you, too:

What has sustained you during this time?

Take your time responding. Over the next year together, I’m going to share my answer with you. To give you a bit of insight into what has sustained me—or even what sustainability means to me—I’ll tell you that even as a restaurant owner, thoughts of CSAs and local sourcing aren’t top of mind, at least not in the typical ways we discuss them and their value. True sustainability is a holistic concept, and practicing it has surely brought me through an intense and trying year.

Sustainability is not just about what you buy or where you buy it. It’s about your intention and your impact. Who you buy your produce from is often more important to me than where it’s sourced.

In this time, when thousands of food businesses have closed for good and mutual aid has become the standard for community support, we are finally understanding that when we make people the priority, the rest will fall into place.

In curating this series, I’m excited to examine sustainability with you in Boston and beyond through one of my favorite mediums: cocktails! I’ve been making drinks since before I could legally drink them, and after all this time (whew), it still amazes me at how we can use cocktails and mixology to tell powerful everyday stories. Chill your glasses in the freezer, grab your shaker and let’s go!