Hey there! While we’re all dealing with the fallout from the Coronavirus pandemic, we thought we’d share our thoughts on dealing with the quarantine.
Don’t worry, this isn’t another one of those boring corporate blog posts full of empty platitudes and meaningless reassurances that we’ll all make it through Coronavirus together. First of all, we’re still Ogres, and second, the way we’ll make it through all this appears to be by staying apart. The tricky part is maintaining our social distance without losing our collective minds.
How to Quarantine Like an Ogre
When we decided to start working remotely this past January, little did we know that most of the country would soon be following suit. Who would’ve thought we were such trendsetters! In the months that we’ve been banging away on our keyboards in relative isolation, we’ve developed a few coping mechanisms to make the days more tolerable.
Here are few of the Ogres’ favorite ways to make working from home suck a whole lot less:
OgreMusic Playlists on Spotify
One of the best things about working from home is the ability to ditch the headphones and blast your tunes at whatever volume you like. Here are a few of our Spotify playlists chock full of our favorite songs to help the hours fly by.
OgreHigh
A selection of songs that defined those awkwardly awesome days of being a high school senior hand-picked by each of the Ogres. Can you guess which of these throw backs are from each of the Ogres?
Ogre Skool Mixtape
A nostalgia-soaked selection of fresh cuts, dope tracks and classic OG jams from the heydays of R&B, hip hop and rap in the 70s, 80s and 90s.
Smoke
Music made for grilling and chilling in the warm days of summer. Fire up the smoker, kick back in a lounge chair and make sure the cooler is full of frosty beverages.
OgreMetal
A carefully curated gift made especially for our fellow headbangers out there. This playlist is overflowing with driving beats, sludgy guitars, guttural screams and all of the existential angst you need in these uncertain times.
420
Songs for those of you who enjoy celebrating the twentieth day of April by rolling with the changes in our routines and puff-puff-passing the time.
Classic Ogre Anthems
An eclectic playlist of classic tunes you know and love from a variety of genres and artists, sure to transport you to the carefree days of pre-2020.
Ogre Coronavirus Cocktails
Work hard, play hard, drink hard — that’s the Ogre way. Whether you’re celebrating the completion of a major project or just surviving another day in this crazy world, these recipes are the perfect way to reward yourself and numb away the anxiety.
A Berry Good Kentucky Mule
- 2 oz. bourbon
- 2 dashes Angostura bitters
- Lime wedge
- Ginger beer — the spicier the better
- Garnish: 1–2 frozen strawberries
Fill a rocks glass ¾ full with crushed ice, give the lime wedge a squeeze and drop it in, then add the bitters and a decent mixing bourbon. Stir briefly, add one or two frozen strawberries, then fill to the rim with spicy ginger beer — our favorite brands are Blenheim Red Cap (if you can find it in your area) or Gosling’s.
Sweet and Dirty Ogre Quarantini
- 3 oz. gin
- 1/2 oz. extra dry vermouth
- 1 tsp. grenadine
- 1/4 tsp. lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp. olive juice — use more or less to taste
- Garnish: 2–3 olives
Add the gin, vermouth, grenadine and juices to a cocktail shaker filled with ice and shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain into a chilled martini glass and garnish with two or three olives (or however many tickles your fancy). Guaranteed to cure quarantine-related malaise, ennui and cabin fever.
Pandemic Pinewood Punch
- 2 oz. bourbon
- 1 1/2 oz. apple brandy
- 3 oz. lemonade
- 2-3 dashes orange bitters
- Ginger beer
- Garnish: fresh rosemary sprig
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice, add the bourbon, apple brandy, lemonade (homemade is best) and bitters then shake vigorously for 30 seconds. Strain into a pint, highball or other tall glass filled with fresh ice then top off with ginger beer and stir gently with the rosemary sprig. Sip slowly and feel yourself instantly transported to the pinewood forests of Northwest Florida’s Gulf Coast.
True Blue French 75
- 1 1/2 oz. Magellan gin
- 3/4 oz. fresh lemon juice
- 1/2 oz. simple syrup
- 1 cup ice
- 2 oz. Ruffino Prosecco
In a cocktail shaker combine the ice, gin, lemon juice and simple syrup*. Shake vigorously for 20 seconds then strain into a chilled champagne flute and top with the prosecco. This is a classy cocktail, so consider putting on pants (or don’t, we won’t judge).
*If you’ve never made your own simple syrup, it’s super easy. Combine 1/2 cup water with 1/2 cup sugar in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once all the sugar has dissolved, set the syrup aside to cool. That’s it!
How Are You Doing?
We hope these tips help you to make it through quarantine or whatever else we have to endure to ensure we whoop this virus as quickly as possible. In all seriousness, please do your best to stay at home, stay isolated and stay healthy. Let us know if there’s anything we Ogres can do for you, and we’ll see you on the other side of quarantine!