Wims Al Fresco

Planning your menu is perhaps the most strategic part of a picnic. You want something that can go without refrigeration for several hours, and that doesn’t require many utensils to serve, or eat. Cut fruit and berries, mixed nuts, sweet pastries, crunchy crackers, and dippable spreads, all make good candidates—but by far the finest option for any picnic is a sandwich on a sturdy baguette. We like to build ours with hard cheeses, which won’t ooze out on a hot day, and dry-cured meats, which can stand a couple hours out of the fridge. Layer in some vegetables that add texture, but not moisture—lettuce, avocado, sprouts, or thinly sliced squash work wonderfully; juicy tomatoes should be skipped to ensure nothing gets soggy. Finish with condiments that add a little extra zing: mayo, mustard, pesto, and so on. You might even consider stirring Wims into your condiments, for a sandwich that’s both elevated and elevating. Finally, for maximum charm, wrap up each sandwich in parchment paper and tie it up with a little twine. When it’s time to eat, unwrapping your sandwich will feel like unwrapping a gift. And in a way, it is.

Not only do beverages bring flavor and freshness, they help inspire and elevate the mood of your picnic. From caffeine to alcohol to adaptogens, there are all kinds of functional ingredients that can help inspire a particular mood. With its light, lifted effects, we find Wims to be the perfect picnic companion: it lets conversation flow, with a buzz that feels cheerful, present, and connected. And from a practical perspective, it’s highly portable—you can tuck it into your basket, and still have plenty of room for a variety of other mixers. Bring along fruity juices, energizing iced tea, bubbly seltzers, or cooling herbal drinks, and let everyone mix up a custom concoction that matches the flavors and feelings they’re craving.

At a minimum, a picnic requires a blanket to sit on, cups to drink from, and a bag or basket to tote along all your food and beverages. Each of these essential supplies could be found lying around your house, or curated thoughtfully from vintage shops and artful makers. An old fashioned wicker picnic basket makes a particularly good addition—it adds a distinctly picnicky charm, and also provides practical, portable storage. Once you’re set with the essential supplies, you can get creative about other objects that add an extra touch of whimsy—cloth napkins, vases to fill with flowers plucked on site, or candles that provide both ambience and bug repellent for picnics that spill over into evening.

For the simplest version of a picnic, conversation alone will provide plenty of entertainment—especially when Wims lights up people’s charismatic side. But if you want a bit more structure, traditional lawn games can make a wonderful addition: bocce ball, croquet, and cornhole are all simple, social games that set up well in a flat outdoor space. They’re perfect for leisurely afternoons, with an easygoing pace that leaves plenty of time to snack, sip, chat, and soak up the sunshine.

Any sunny day is a good day for a picnic! There needn’t be a special occasion at all. But picnics also make wonderful dates, relaxed birthday celebrations, family afternoons with room for kids to roam, long-overdue catch-ups with close friends, or easygoing gatherings where new friendships can form. As it turns out, fresh air, good food, and elevated drinks are a combination for all kinds of occasions. And maybe that’s the real charm of a picnic—it turns an ordinary day into something a little extra special.