April 2026

Slow Drinking Guide

A monthly beverage and culture forward letter written to celebrate Latin American heritage.

You Need a Hug. We All Need a Hug.

Our collective efforts to rally for each other and nature walks are the shiniest spot of the day. Hope you can plan that walking meeting outside today with a colleague, family member, or friend this season when the magnolia trees are in full bloom in Chicago.

Inspired by Earth day, I want to talk about building healthy soil through composting. Anyone gardening this year? Let's huddle! Here are two easy ways to help Chicago meet it's climate action goals to reduce soil erosion. The City of Chicago offers a citywide Food Scrap Drop-Off Program, and all Chicago residents can drop off their household food scraps for composting at one of 33 locations across the city– for FREE! Check out the map for locations here. For Vida Mia, we compost a lot especially when there are left over lime peels, strawberry stems, and left over fruit.

Composting keeps food scraps out of landfills, reduces harmful greenhouse gas emissions, and recycles nutrients that enrich soil. Out of convenience, my fiancé and I use WastNot Compost, a pick-up service that collects 5 gallons of our food-scraps each month. They deliver healthy soil to us in the Spring and Fall. Sharing my referral link here for discounted rate for new customers.

Separately, for my corporate baddies and event planners who are preparing for May, I added a list of caterers who have guacamole bar services and more. Shop and order local by referencing our directory below or support your neighborhood joints.

Where to slow drink in Chicago.....

🥂 COCKTAILS: The Secret Garden pop-up is tucked inside the Dandy Crown Chicago Bar and is so pretty! For a limited-time, the pop up brings a vibrant floral takeover with bold blooms and whimsical details that feel like a hidden escape right in the city. Give it a visit: 694 North Milwaukee Avenue, Chicago.

🎟️ Two In-Person April Events: Join me for the inaugural Coworking & Social Club Pop-Up day hosted by Vida Mia on Friday, April 24th; we reserved a space to work together at Anticonquista Cafe and visit the Rieles y Raices exhibit before it ends at the National Museum of Mexican Arts. Secondly, you're invited to the Women In Spirits Quarterly Soiree at KOVAL Tasting Room on April 25th. Proud to partner with Mezcalistas and Seyna Secreto for this reunion. Register for both here.

☕ LOCAL CAFES: What is your cozy spot? Palestinian-owned coffee shop, Oud Coffee, was voted as the top spot in the city by the 2026 March Madness Chicago Coffee Shop tournament. Chicagoans have spoken and voted. Shoutout to the final runner up, my vecinos, Casa Cactus.

🍽 Poetry and Dinner: The Chicago Reader published an immersive list of poetry events this month especially this one scheduled on Saturday titled "“No preguntarme nada” a bilingual poetry workshop with Brighton Park poets. Don't miss this one on April 11th and more listed here. When in Brighton Park, stop by Borinken Cakes for a Puerto Rican colao cafecito and bizcochito; located at 5328 S Archer Ave, Chicago.

With love and light,

-Argelia