Last year, Valtteri and I could not keep our annual drink tradition going, but this year we brought it back.
After checking off coffee, wine, and gin over the previous years, I was honestly running out of ideas for what was next. What were we going to do, drink water?
It was actually Paul Ripke who came up with the winning idea. He suggested we do a proper ginger shot from JuiceLand, a local Austin staple.
The plan was set: Valtteri was participating in a group bike ride for an event, and we would meet up right after he finished for the drink. I ran out to grab the shots, brought them over to the venue, and caught up with him once he hopped off his bike.
We knocked back the ginger shots together, and Paul captured a hilarious series of photos tracing our reactions. The initial hit of raw ginger hit our tastebuds with a vengeance, giving us both that classic, intense reaction. But a second later, we looked at each other like, “Wow, that was actually really good!”
In fact, it was so good that we both went right back for seconds, and Tiffany joined in and had one too.
But the day wasn’t over just yet. I wanted to get a little rest and grab another juice before an event I had to attend later that afternoon, and while I was out, I once again ran right into Pato O’Ward! We ended up chatting for a bit about Vegas a few months prior, Coldplay, and his upcoming free practice session in Mexico City. He’s always super nice whenever I run into him, and it was the perfect way to wrap up a pretty wild day.
I think we already have another really fun idea lined up for 2026 now, but that one will have to wait!
