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FOOD & SPIRITS SUMMERTIME SOIREES: MADE TO ORDER

Planning a poolside party or family reunion? I’ll bartend!

The mixology revolution of recent years has stressed fresh ingredients over canned and processed cocktail components that were once common. Mariel Goodrich, owner of Isle Bartend, has taken it one step further and established a concierge service to provide organic, personalized cocktails and mocktails for parties in Southwest Florida. e company devises a customized bar program based on the party theme. Packages range from standard pouring service to an individual “Organic Fresh Fruit Mixology Experience,” which features a fresh fruit bar with 20 selections and spirits of the client’s choice. Popular alcoholic cocktails include the Floridian (Key lime martini with a graham cracker crust) and Razzapeño (fresh-squeezed raspberry margarita).

Goodrich says she “lost both parents to unhealthy lifestyles, which caused me to live on a farm and grow my own fruits, vegetables, and herbs. I try to avoid chemicals and processed foods, and I pass that on to my customers.” All her cocktails can be prepared in a zero-proof version; she does a Mocktail Night at St. Matthew’s House and fresh fruit bars for children’s parties.

Goodrich began working in restaurants at the age of 15 and started behind the bar when she reached legal drinking age. At Chef & Somm in North Carolina, she designed the bar program and developed more than 300 recipes using organic ingredients. She opened Isle Bartend in December 2020. e name of her company is a playful homophone: Say it out loud and it sounds like “I’ll bartend.” (islebartend.com)

DESTINATION ‘TIDE OF TRANSFORMATION’

Golf destination is redefined for the family

You don’t have to be a golfer to indulge in the new amenities at The Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples, designed to please the whole family. The Reservoir is a new, 14,000-square-foot aquatic play area featuring a 600-foot lazy river, called Drift, and a kiddie splash zone. It also features three waterslides with two tandem body slides and a tube slide.

Also poolside: The new Ria restaurant, “an outdoor oasis blending a tranquil and elegant style with irresistible flavors that capture the bright ambiance and cuisine of Latin America life and culture,” according to the resort. Chef Aldo Novoa Rodriguez creates flavorful dishes such as cochinita pibil from Mexico and Peru’s lomo saltado, along with tacos, sweets, and craft cocktails. A new 3,600-square-foot event lawn located off the main dining patio can accommodate group gatherings.

Six luxury private cabanas at the adultsonly pool boast a wet bar, flat-screen TV, tableside butler service, fresh fruit, Wi-Fi, a complimentary cocktail, and alfresco dishes from Ria.

The addition of these immersive poolrelated amenities is being dubbed a “tide of transformation” while The Reservoir is being referred to as “a sun-soaked sanctuary” by The Ritz-Carlton.

Guests at the Forbes Four Star, AAA Four Diamond Ritz-Carlton Golf Resort, Naples, can take advantage of the amenities at the beach resort, including its brand-new spa, beachfront, and restaurants.

ICONIC BEACH RESORT EVOLVES

Did you know that Naples is one of only four cities in the world that can boast two Ritz-Carltons? The original beach resort—one of the oldest properties in the Ritz family—is undergoing a makeover from top to bottom. Among an impressive array of upgrades, 35 guest suites are being renovated and 57 new ones are being built, bringing the total to 474. Construction is expected to be completed in December.

THE CLOSE

PICTURING PARADISE LOOK INTO MY EYES

A common sight uncommonly captured

An adult brown pelican (Pelecanus occidentalis) at Isle of Capri sits motionless for a portrait by Nick Shirghio showcasing its subtle coloring. “It speaks of the everyday detail that you miss unless you’re looking closely,” Shirghio says. Shirghio moved to Naples in 1980 at the age of 9, so he is familiar with local wildlife and knows a unique environmental perspective when he sees it. A graduate of Daytona Beach Community College’s photography program, he is a professional photographer based in Naples with a focus on architectural, editorial, and commercial photography, as well as nature and cloudscapes. (nick-photo.com)

NICK SHIRGHIO