Ashley Gibson's Delulu Dinner Party
The cocktail author on Taylor Swift, poppers, and Stardew Valley
It’s been a chaotic week this week — Alec Baldwin announced a new TLC series with his fake Spanish wife Hilaria to try to rehab his image, Will Smith is on Hot Ones promoting his new Bad Boys movie and rehabbing his image, and steamy music videos for “Please, Please, Please,” “That Boy is Mine,” and “CHIHIRO” all dropped at once as the pop princess renaissance saunters forward.
We also learned the cast of The Traitors S3 (largely disappointing — don’t cast Chrishell without also casting Christine!) and The Bachelorette S21 (which I got to roast for Betches).
Moving on, I’m so excited to launch an all-new Uncultured EXCLUSIVE interview series, Delulu Dinner Party, which asks guests to craft their own celebrity dinner party, from the flowers to the foie gras.
My inaugural guest is Ashley Gibson, author of the adorable new cocktail book Sip Me, Baby, One More Time. As its name suggests, the book contains dozens of cocktails inspired by the songs of our generation’s biggest pop stars, with GORG photography that makes it basically double as a coffee table book. I personally have a copy displayed in my cocktail nook (a bar cart for poors) and have already gotten so many compliments from my many guests!
Ashley! I’m excited to hear who you would invite to your celebrity dinner party, because Sip Me Baby one more time is full of iconic pop star inspiration.
Number one is Taylor Swift, of course. And then the other two are kind of surprise.
I’ve put a lot of thought into this: Troye Sivan and Reba McEntire.
The reason why is because those two were on Andy Cohen, and I guess they were talking about poppers. And Reba McEntire goes, “What is a popper?” Then Troye Sivan just lowers his head, like, “I cannot explain this to this woman” and it was one of the funniest things I've ever seen.
So Troye, Taylor, and Reba McEntire talking about poppers and God knows what else would be so much fun.
Would you want your party to have a theme, or something more casual?
When I have people over I just like them to be comfortable — people can wear whatever they want.
Okay, so Taylor Swift in sweatpants it is. But while we’re on the topic, do you have a favorite outfit from The Eras Tour?
The purple Folklore dress is everything to me, and I love all the Midnights bodysuits, too.
I got to see the show twice, once in Atlanta and once in Kansas City. In Kansas City I got second row, right near the diamond, and I went by myself because who is gonna pay that much money? But I had a girl beside me who was also by herself, so that felt like a sisterhood type thing.
The surprise song she played was Never Grow Up, and I have a daughter, so I sobbed a lot. The girl next to me was like, are you okay? I don’t know where she is today, but I hope she’s thriving.
On that note, what type of playlist or artists would you have on during this pop star-filled evening? Is there anything embarrassing in your algorithm you’d need to account for?
I have a playlist for literally everything, but in this case, I don’t know that I would put Taylor or Troye on it because I feel like they would feel weird.
So I would put all the other people I love — Beyonce, Britney, Muna, Charli XCX. Maybe Phoebe Bridgers, but she might not be appropriate for the night because she’s a little sad.
But I’m never embarrassed by anything I listen to. I don’t care what comes on, I’ll put my whole Spotify on shuffle. Maybe the Glee cast would come up, which some people would consider embarrassing, but I don’t care, I love Glee.
This is probably the most important question of the interview given your cocktail prowess. What drinks are we serving?
I honestly love a dirty martini. If I'm going to sip a drink at a gathering or a party, it's going to be a dirty martini. I think in my book, that was the one for Madonna's Like A Virgin.
I would also do the Thank U, Next by Ariana Grande drink. That would give a sweet, fruity, pink, pretty option.
And then let’s also add the drink for Girls, Girls, Girls, by Fletcher, which is an old fashioned. Fletcher said that the line in that song about the old fashioned was inspired by Taylor Swift because she’s known to drink them. Plus, it’s one of my favorite drinks to make — I don’t like to drink them myself, but when I get to make them for my friends or my husband, I get so excited.
I’m loving this curated cocktail experience. What type of hors d'œuvres would go along with it?
I’m kind of lazy when it comes to food, so this is my husband’s job. We usually do a charcuterie board when we host, and he makes a really pretty one. Maybe with some brie, bread, and a Spanish olive oil.
Are you letting your husband hang out with you guys?
I think he should not hang out with us. He is the opposite of me when it comes to celebrities. He thinks people shouldn't be so obsessed with celebrities, but I don't really care. He can do whatever he wants.
I know that Troye and Reba are already acquainted due to their poppers exchange, but in the event that you need an ice breaker, how are you getting the conversation going?
When my friends and I get together, we play a game that we made up called The Love Game. And we go around in a circle and you say something really nice that you like about the person to your left.
It always makes everyone so good to hear compliments about themselves. So I don’t know if my guests would have anything to say about me, because they don’t know me, but I would have lots to say about them. And I think they all know each other enough to say nice things about each other!
Well I’m sure by the time they’d had your craft cocktails they’d have something nice to say about that. What are you thinking for a main course for dinner?
Cooking for other people stresses me out so bad. When I have people over, I order buffalo chicken wings from a restaurant because most people like chicken wings — we live in the country, so there’s not a lot to choose from.
But there’s this one real good chicken wing place, and it’s delicious and fills everyone up. And I’d just be way too nervous to cook for these guests.
Every time there are chicken wings at a party, the vibe triples for me. So let’s assume the party is a smashing success. Once your guests bid you adieu, how are you relaxing?
I always take a shower. Showers are like a religious experience for me. Yeah, I'm gonna need the shower and then I need to go to my safe space which is the bed where I’m going to process everything and scroll mindlessly on my phone.
I also might play Stardew Valley on my Nintendo Switch. I love it so much.
Omg, I love Stardew Valley! Who are you married to?
I’m married to Leah, I always pick Leah. She’s such a good wife. I tried dating Hailey, but she didn’t do it for me. I dated Shane — he’s a mess. You can’t date Linus, but he’s my bestie.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity. And shout out to seester of the newsy for the beautiful designs!!
Watching: Am I Ok? (Max)
Drinking: Premier Protein Cafe Latte — these are my new obsession thanks to TikTok…I pour them over ice and a smackerel of cold brew. You can find them on the bottom row of the sad, elderly nutrition support aisle of your local CVS.
Reading: “Firing Jeff Probst Isn’t Enough” (Vulture)
P.S. I’m on vacation for the rest of the month, so I’ll see you hoes in July <3
I always marry Shane and he's absolutely a mess! I wonder what that says about me...