January 26, 2022 — Taking Action in DEI with Level D&I and Zettabytes.Today!

     

For our January 26, 2022 event, we were joined by Level D&I for an incredible panel on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion! 

The incredible Khris Goins crafted a Ginger Smash for us, and gave a lovely demonstration around how to craft this refresher! 

Immediately afterwards, our Vinny Sanfillipo crafted up a more floral version of a French 75, full of flavors of champagne, lemon and St. Germain. 

Chelsea Akers, COO of Level D&I gave us a great presentation about what Level D&I does and their new product-line around helping companies take charge of their DEI strategies. 

Following Chelsea's presentation, we had a fantastic discussion with our esteemed panelists! LinkedIn links and profiles below! :D

Katie Dascoli, Head of People at Physna (bottom right)

Doug McCollough, CEO of Color Coded Labs (top right)

Katie Moore, Pathway Program Director at Tech Elevator (bottom left)

Kristine Tsirigotis, CEO of Level D&I (top left)

It was an absolutely wonderful panel around DEI initiatives, how to be the changes you want to see at an organization, and strategies to get buy in from the larger organization and community. 

Bummer you missed the panel? Want to see more like this and be a part of the conversation? 

Become a Zetta Star and get access to our slack workspace, recording of the panel, and more! 

See you at the next event! 

Which Martini will you choose? The Rini or the Vinny?

Zettabytes.Today's Co-Founder Rini Das and I became fast friends over a variety of topics, but one thing that always brings us together is the martini. Crisp, briny, and ever so boozy, the Martini never fails to satisfy. Moreover, you'll often find Rini and myself at a Rini Vinny Martini happy hour, where we'll enjoy martinis and chat about the goings on in the tech community here in Columbus. 

Historically speaking, the birthplace of the martini is unknown, although most stories include the Gold Rush in California and the town of Martinez. The original refined version of the cocktail emerged during Prohibition, which was a gin and vermouth based cocktail. Then, in the early 1950's and 1960's, vodka became increasingly popular, and with a little help from James Bond, the Vodka Martini, or kangaroo cocktail, was born. Interested in learning more about the origins of the Martini and its long history? Check out this USA Today article here.

Shocker and spoilers here: Rini and I find ourselves on the opposite ends of the Martini spectrum. While we're not opposed to each other's school of thought around the coveted cocktail, we're strongly committed to our personal spins on each. 

The Rini Martini

Rini prefers a more classic take on the Martini, with good gin and vermouth being the stars of the show. 

Here's what you'll need: 

3 parts good Gin (Rini prefers Plymouth, Roku, or Hendrick's)

1 part Extra Dry Vermouth

1 Lime Ribbon

1 Martini Glass

1 Drinker Shaker

Ice

Put your glass in the chiller. 

In a shaker, combine ice, gin, and vermouth. 

Stir for 20-30 seconds(about 20 times around the glass). 

Pour into cold Martini glass. 

Garnish with lime ribbon. 

Enjoy! 

The Vinny Martini

As is no surprise, I prefer a more modern take on the Martini, which is essentially an extra dry dirty martini.

Here's what you'll need: 

3 oz of good vodka, (I prefer Chopin or Ketel One for my Martini)

.75 oz of olive juice

3 Pimento Stuffed Olives, skewered

1 Martini Glass

Ice

Fill your Martini Glass with cold water and ice. Set aside. 

In a shaker, combine vodka, olive juice, and ice. 

Stir for 15-20 seconds. 

Discard the water and ice out of the martini glass. 

Pour the vodka mixture into the glass.  

Garnish with olive spear.   

Enjoy!

No matter how you prefer your martini, you are always welcome at Vinny Rini Martini! 

Want in on the next one? Meet us at Land Grant on December 1st at 5:30pm to come enjoy one with us! 

You can register for the event and see the details here!

What's your favorite spin on the martini? We want to know! 

Are you Team Rini (Gin) or Team Vinny(Vodka)? 

Let us know in the comments below!