The Assignment: Springtime Cocktails
The Location: Barred Owl Butcher & Table

Spring is a persnickety season in Columbia.

It doesn’t just show up and stick around for months. It teases us with warm and sunny days, then throws a cold and snowy day at us within a week.

When the sun lingers around longer, that’s when I start thinking about the bar patios around town. Spending time with friends while enjoying light cocktails on a sunny day is one of my favorite activities. Time slows down, sunglasses stay on and we bask in the golden hue with a good drink and have nowhere else to be. It’s a stark contrast to the blustery, subzero temperatures we were experiencing just months before.

While photographing the springtime cocktails for this issue’s Cheers department, I found myself transported to a sunlit veranda where everything is just chill.

Spring doesn’t arrive all at once, but it shows up in moments like these — one patio, one cocktail, one perfect afternoon at a time.