Wine Down Sip Sip, Sots, and Ice Cream

If a title like that doesn’t get your attention, what will? This is a post about three of our favorite things here in Hope Town.

On our second night in Hope Town way back on Friday, December 13th, Dan and Marcia took us to a classy little wine bar named Wine Down Sip Sip.  The atmosphere is both casual and sophisticated, with a lounge area and shelves filled with books for lending and exchanging.

The name is decidedly unusual, but, oh, so fitting — Wine down = to relax. Sip-sip= to share ‘news’, the Bahamian equivalent of gossip. Wine Down Sip-Sip is the place to do both – relax and enjoy conversations with others.

Within 10 minutes on that first Friday, we were introduced to Deanna and Sara, who enticed, encouraged, persuaded and cajoled us into joining the SOTS. The official Webster definition of a sot is a person who is habitually drunk. But that is not really what this is about, not really at all. Sara took our photos for our membership cards, which were available the very next day (when do you ever get service like that anywhere?).

What does this mean???  We received a witty email the next day that explained just what we had joined the night before. From that email, we learned — The idea was born back in 2009 when four friends were enjoying drinks and the conversation. “Why not found a group that had as its purpose nothing but chatting with friends over a flagon (or wine glass, or tumbler)?  A group without rules, directories, by-laws, meetings, committees, or fundraisers. Our only goal would be to gather like minded souls for the camaraderie.”

These four friends were “besotted” with the concept and were sitting at the Wine Down Sip Sip, so their new group was baptized “the Sip Sip Sots.”  For the alliterative touch, not the negative connotation.  One thing led to another and their idea expanded to include other local island establishments.  Wine Down Sip Sip is the headquarters, but “meetings” of the Sots are also held at several other locations on Elbow Cay. During Happy Hour, light treats are provided for the members to enjoy. Membership entitles us to 10% off purchases in some local businesses. The major portion of the lifetime membership fee of $5.00 goes to Friends of Abaco Animals, a charity that provides for abandoned and needy animals.  We are proud to be SOTS!

Every Friday at 5 pm, the Sip Sip Sots gather at Wine Down Sip Sip for conversation and a drink. In four Fridays, we have already met many terrific people there, other cruisers and Elbow Cay residents, year round and seasonal.

That leaves only one more thing in the title to explain – ice cream. We love ice cream, as you may well know 🙂  and we went without any ice cream for nearly three weeks here in the Abacos. Yes, that is truly hard to believe, I know.  We found our first Bahama ice cream at the Sugar Shack.

The Sugar Shack sells the ice cream by weight, not by scoop. We got a small to share and it was $5.00. I am wondering what a medium for $5.00 would be?