Drinks with Eva Nineuil, Director of Culture and Programming for Proper Hospitality
Just like you, we miss drinks with friends. Instead of letting ‘shelter in place’ stop us, each week we're asking some of our favorite people in food, wine, art, and culture how they’re surviving these cRaZy TiMeS and, of course, find out what they’re drinking right now.
If you’d like to join us for a drink, we provide links to some of our go-to online wine shops.
Drinks with Eva Nineuil
STATS:
Eva is the Director of Culture and Programming for Proper Hospitality (my favorite place to stay in Santa Monica). Proper Hotels have outposts in Santa Monica, San Francisco, Austin and coming soon to Downtown LA, with interiors designed by Kelly Wearstler.
3 words to describe you in your current state:
Challenged: like most professionals, I have had to adapt my role and contribution to the current lockdown situation. As Head of Culture and Programming for Proper, the challenge has been to shift toward digital programming, while continuing to emphasize the cultural value proposition of Proper as a brand.
Creative: on a more personal level, when things have started to slow down, I have found myself to be even more challenged in my creativity. Working from home, I’ve discovered new musical artists, tried new recipes, become more inspired when journaling, etc.
Thankful: I’m very thankful to all the people who are on the frontline. Medical staff of course, but also store clerks, maintenance people, police officers, etc. Being challenged professionally is easy at home, but those who are on the frontline definitely deserve our gratitude. In Paris, where I come from, people have been cheering on medical staff at their balconies at 8PM every night for the past 6 weeks.
Current song on repeat:
Atomic Bomb, by William Onyeabour!
Maybe this is an unconscious metaphorical representation of my growing desire to go outside and explore, a desire that I am refraining from in this Shelter in Place time.
Any tips or hacks you’ve found useful during Shelter in Place?
Google Arts and Culture features content from over 2000 leading museums and archives. It’s more than you need to keep being culturally nurtured during a quarantine!
On a more personal note, I have been practicing meditation for a long time, and can only recommend it during Shelter in Place.
At Proper, we are partnering with The Copper Vessel, a sound healer helping move past anxiety and stress in order to relax and reconnect with one’s true and radiant self. We have been streaming the sessions live from Santa Monica Proper Hotel during the lockdown.
What are you currently reading, watching, listening to?
Books:
Wabi Sabi Welcome, in which Julie Pointer Adams, teaches us how to turn the generous act of getting together into the deeper art of being together. It is about everything I love : It is about preparing delicious food to nourish, not showing off. It’s about keeping a basket of cozy slippers at the door for guests. It is about well-worn linens, bouquets of foraged branches, mismatched silverware, and heirloom bowls infused with the spirit of meals served with love.
I’m also reading The Culture Map, by Erin Meyer, about working with people from different culture. After having lived 2 years in Venezuela and almost 5 years in the US I’m still learning a lot about the importance of paying attention to cultural interpretations.
TV Shows:
The Crown, the Netflix-original drama which chronicles the life of Queen Elizabeth II from the 1940s to modern times. The Queen of the United Kingdom has recently celebrated her 94th birthday, which inspired me to watch almost the 30 episodes in a row!
Movie:
I have recently watched Outbreak, with Dustin Hoffman and Morgan Freeman. It’s about a dangerous airborne virus threatening a California town after an African monkey carrying a lethal virus has been smuggled into the U.S…
Post COVID plan or something you’re missing most?
I’m missing surfing in Venice, a stay in Palm Springs, cooking a diner at home for friends, and a summer on the Atlantic Coast in France with late nights around the family table.
My favorite time to drink wine is…
Friday, 7PM. But to be honest, I have a glass of wine every day around 7PM!
What are you drinking now?
When it comes to wine, I tend to be pretty chauvinistic. I was raised in France, studied in Bordeaux… but I have more recently developed a strong interest in natural wines. I’m currently in love with an Italian organic wine named Trebbiano D’Abruzzo. I am also truly enjoying several from the Obvious Wines collection, a wine company founded by a friend of mine, particularly their N°04 Rich & Oaky.
Can you share a recipe for your favorite cocktail?
I’m in love with the Broken Limb at Proper Palma: Haymaker Vodka, Marasca, Sour Apple Cordial, Lime. Just go for it!
Online Wine Shops
Verve NYC- www.vervewine
Chambers St. Wines, NYC- www.chambersstwines.com
Tribeca Wine Merchants- www.tribecawine.com
K&L Wine Merchants- www.klwines.com
DomaineLA- www.domainela.com
Granada Grocery, SLO- www.granadagroceryslo.com