THE BL Happy List
At Bitters Lab we are on a journey to share our platform for good. We want to uplift, elevate and share the stories of those who are under-represented. The Bitters Lab Happy List was a result of the Global Pandemic, it was a way for us to share some good with our community during a time when everything seemed to be going wrong. We’ve enjoyed it so much - we continue to add to it every month.
Below you’ll find a non-exhaustive list of books, podcasts, social media accounts, and shows we have found enlightening in our journey of becoming anti-racist, the list also includes fun things we’ve enjoyed or are looking forward to diving into.
We hope you’ll join us in our journey, because “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We are the change that we seek.” - Barack Obama
Books/Poems:
List of Political books by Black Women
What Kind of Woman - Kate Baer
Emotional Agility - Susan David (this is an incredible book that we highly recommend)
Lead from the Outside… - Stacy Abrams
Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man -Emmanuel Acho
Home Body - Rupi Kaur - we love her poetry, in fact we’d recommend checking out all of her books.
Wintering - Katherine May
Badass Habits - Jen Sincero
Let America Be America Again - a Poem by Langston Hughes
Men Explain Things to Me by Rebecca Solnit
Lead From The Outside by Stacey Abrams
Little Weirds by Jenny Slate
The Second Sex by Simone De Beauvoir
Stacey Abrams Marie Claire interview
The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country - Amanda Gorman - We picked up the book, released on March 30th
Bestie Boys Book - via Audible
Excited to dive into The Feminine Mystique
Stacey Abrams’ new book While Justice Sleeps
new poetry book by Yung Pueblo and it’s incredible!
Nick Offerman’s book: Where the Deer and the Antelope Play
“How to do Nothing: Resisting the Attention Economy” by Jenny Odell
Classic Albums by Women, by Colleen “Cosmo” Murphy
The Chaos Machine: The Inside Story of How Social Media Rewired Our Minds and Our World
Real Self-Care: A Transformative Program for Redefining Wellness (Crystals, Cleanses, and Bubble Baths Not Included) by Pooja Lakshmin MD
The 6 Phase Meditation Method by Vishen Lakhiani
Vanguard How Black Women Broke Barriers, Won the Vote, and Insisted on Equality for All by Martha S. Jones
Music:
DakhaBrakha - Tiny Desk Concert. One of our favorite groups.
Lous & The Yakuza - Tiny Desk Concert - so beautiful + listening to music in other languages is always a treat!
Arlo Parks - Live on KEXP. She’s an insanely talented 20 year old poet/singer from London!
Delvon Lamarr Organ Trio on KEXP
Funk cover of Single Ladies by Beyoncé via Scary Pockets
Jamiroquai/John Mayer Mashup funk cover on YouTube
Nathaniel Rateliff, Tiny Desk Concert
New Hiss Golden Messenger album
Tears for Fears cover featuring Cory Henry
This Daft Punk cover!
WOW, this KEXP video of ADG7 a Korean Shamanic Folk-Pop group!
Jhené Aiko: Tiny Desk Concert - so beautiful!
Blacklight - super fun rapper!
Jump for Joy by Hiss Golden Messenger
Echo The Diamond by Margaret Glaspy
Speedy Ortiz Rabbit Rabbit
Our Cocktails of the World Playlist is pretty dope, as well!
Movies/TV/Docs:
A list of films about Black Joy
Beryl Shereshewsky’s videos of her trying different foods from all over the world.
Funny SNL Skit
Just finished season 2 of Shrill on Hulu, this show is great!
Nomadland (fun fact, I liked the book better)
This Way Up, a British Comedy on Hulu
Halston, a series on Netflix
This amazing story of how Van Gogh became famous, all thanks to his sister-in-law
This is Pop, musical documentary series
Good on Paper, written & starring comedian Iliza Shlesinger
Jimmy Fallon “Bad Signs” episode
This great recipe video from one of our favorite YouTube peeps, Sadia
Super neat video about Green Cardamom - So much goes into the process of making and harvesting
This Video about how TOFU is made!
SOUL Movie - we know we’re late to this movie, but man was it such an incredibly beautiful story!
this fun video about Beer!
Angel City an inspiring story about the groundbreaking Los Angeles-based professional women’s soccer team, Angel City Football Club.
How to use a kitchen knife with this very informative video
This video on Cochineal Bugs - the little cuties Camapri, Cappelletti & St. George Spirts use to color their spirits red. It was absolutely facinating!
Audio Books:
Braving the Wilderness - Brené Brown
Atomic Habits - James Clear
A Promised Land - Barack Obama
Just Mercy - Bryan Stevenson
Eloquent Rage - Brittney Cooper
Unapologetic - Charlene Carruthers
White fragility - Robin DiAngelo
Hood Feminism: Notes from the Women That a Movement Forgot - Mikki Kendall
I’m still here: Black Dignity in a World Made for Whiteness - Austin Channing Brown
How to be Anti-Racist - Ibram X. Kendi
Untamed, by Glennon Doyle
More Cool Stuff:
10 Black Activists you should know
list of Black owned bars & restaurants
Some organizations / individual activists we’ve found incredibly helpful in our educational journey:
Rachel Cargle
Official millennial black
Campaign zero
The cocktail snob
Radical Xchange
From Privilege to Progress
We Create Anyway
Shit You Should Care About
Boycott4BlackLivesnon-exhaustive lists of Black-owned spirits brands to check out: here, here & here
Download the EatOkra app to find local Black businesses in your area
A list of things white people can do for racial justice, here
Support minority owned businesses in Salt Lake, here is a non-exhaustive list
Casot, a new (ish) wine bar in Utah
Finca Pintxos Bar, Spanish Tapas & Gin Tonic Bar in Utah
People to Follow
Tiffanie Barriere @thedrinkingcoach
Elliot @apartmentbartender
Colin Asare-Appiah @getinvolvedbruv
Ashtin Berry @thecollectress
Alexis Brown @lexluga
Klancy Miller @klancycooks
Shannon Mustipher @shannonmustipher - Author & Bartender who wrote Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails
@womenwhotiki - created by Shannon Mustipher
Garrett Oliver @igarrettoliver
Krista Scruggs @zafawines
Jackie Summers @theliquortarian
Whit & Wine @_whitandwine
Cherry Bombe Drinks @cherrybombedrinks
LaShana Daniels @For The Cocktail Culture
Black-Owned Winery @Eunice Chiweshe Goldstein Winery
List of world Changing women via @goodgoodgoodco
Damon Young - Author
@avecdrinks - Black owned cocktail mixers
@unearthedslc - Black owned mobile massage business
@lscreamliqueur - Black & Woman-owned cream liqueur brand based in Montreal
@stuyvesantchampagne - Black & Woman-owned NYC Champagne
@lovecorkscrew - Black & Woman-owned wine brand
@crownsandhops - FIRST Black & Woman-owned Brewery
@elisetriestocook - Just a Cali girl cooking clean meals
@anteeltequilas - First Black co-owned Tequila brand
@amplifythem - an account dedicated to amplifying the unheard
@AAPIwomenlead- Asian American + Pacific Islander Women Lead organization
Ashlee @Will Drink for Travel
Plus check out this list Ashlee put together of 100 black owned spirits brand
Healthy Pour - they provide educational and mental health resources to folks in the food & beverage industry
Talea Beer Co. - A female-founded brewery in Williamsburg Brooklyn
Rooted Success - an online platform that helps you find Black-owned businesses.
The Adventurous Bartender - Home Bartending made easy. Simply roll the dice, mix your drink, and cheers to a good time. Based in Houston, Texas.
Sisters Devine - Celebrating sisterhood through self-education, wellness and spiritual health.
Black women in Opera - um, YES!
Happy Cork Brooklyn - a Black-owned shop focusing on Black-owned spirits brands!
Ologies - great podcast, fun IG account
Tsuki Sake SLC - a new Sake company and Utah’s first
Pattigonia, a queer environmentalist
Fenice - A new restaurant in SLC featuring Bitters Lab!
Heather Green - Whiskey Authority!
Jay Shetty, we’ve been listening to his Podcast and his daily meditations on the Calm app it’s all uplifting and helpful in jumpstarting our day
