by Henry Gould – April 15th, 2020

Community Love for Yard Athletics

Who doesn’t love a little good press?? Conner Galway from digital strategy and marketing group Junction wrote a great piece titled “What Can Brands Get Up To During A Downturn“, featuring Yard Athletics among familiar names like Earls Restaurants and Belgard Kitchen / Postmark Brewing as groups who are staying creatively engaged with their community during this difficult time.

Despite the lack of a gym to train in, Ilan and the Yard Athletics team have done their best to stay engaged with the #YARDHARD faithful, offering group workouts via Zoom conferencing, as well as remote coaching and the Yard Online Training Series.

Conner also makes the observation that although the online workouts are great, they can be hard to get through on your own without motivation, which in turn promotes the value of the brick and mortar Yard Athletics gym for those who feel their best effort comes out in a group or 1 on 1.

We have to say we fully agree! The Yard Online Training Series is something we fully stand behind as a resource for your fitness goals, but your best workouts always come with the help of a coach.

All the more reason to be excited for Yard Athletics 2.0, on schedule to open at 307 W Pender sometime in the coming weeks.

Thanks again Conner!

Mezcal Tonic For Quarantine

The last month has brought a level of news saturation that verges on unbearable, particularly when the bad news is far outweighing the good.

Hydroxychloroquine has emerged as a potential therapeutic drug, although the results are debated. This drug can trace its roots to quinine, an anti-malarial drug developed from the bark of a Cinchona tree in the 1800’s.

As a drink, Gin & Tonic became popular during English rule of India, where soldiers would drink their quinine with gin to mask the taste, eventually putting the quinine in a “tonic” to taken more easily – hence the drink we know today as Gin & Tonic.

Now, let me state unequivocally: TONIC WATER WILL NOT PREVENT, NOR TREAT CORONAVIRUS / COVID-19. 

With that being said, a nice little cocktail every now and then can help stop the dog in your head from barking, and soothe the days inevitable anxieties. As with any alcohol, the cure can so often become the cause, so try to exercise restraint in your indulgence…

Gin is great, but even more enticing is Mezcal, the smokey cousin of Tequila made from agave or maguey cactus. Lots of lime juice adds a refreshing backbone to the drink, and a slice of grapefruit compliments the bitter tonic water. Canada Dry or Schweppes Tonic Water is fine, but if you want to spring for the fancier stuff it does tend to make a difference.

Two Mezcals I am very fond of:

Sombra 

Los Siete Misterios

Mezcal Tonic

• 2 oz Mezcal
• Fresh limes
• Grapefruit
• Tonic Water
• Ice

Wash your lime, then roll on the counter with your hand. This helps get more juice out.

Cut in half and squeeze the half into a cocktail glass. Add 2oz of Mezcal and a lot of ice. Stir around with a spoon for 10 seconds to combine. Add more ice if the volume drops as the ice melts.

Top with as much tonic water as your taste permits, garnishing with a slice of grapefruit. Take a sip, and ponder the days chaos.