Cocktails on Brenda's Balcony has become a pandemic social media hit

SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, Calif. - When Brenda Simpkins first posted a picture on Facebook of a glass of chardonnay on her balcony with Mt. Tallac in the background, little did she know she would become a much-needed respite in the middle of the coronavirus pandemic.

She posted that photo on the I Love Lake Tahoe page, gathering hundreds of "likes" and several comments about what her next drink would be. A new fan suggested a Lemon Drop would look nice on the balcony, and so it began.

The "I Love Lake Tahoe" Facebook group has over 40,000 members, and many became her fans, watching the scenery change in the photos over the past several weeks while engaging in discussions on everything Tahoe and cocktails.

Brenda moved permanently to South Lake Tahoe nine months ago from San Jose, after having a second home first in Christmas Valley, then later at the Y. She and her fiance Mike bought their new home near the Tahoe Keys and that has become the stage for her "Cocktails on the Balcony with Brenda.

The pandemic led Brenda and Mike to postpone their March wedding but they have been making the best of staying at home with the cocktails and photos.

"I didn't drink every day," said Brenda who has had fun creating the cocktails. She missed a day posting a drink on her balcony on Facebook and Facebook let her know she was missed as comment after comment on the social media site wondered where she was.

"I wasn’t thinking of cocktails every day, it just turned out that way," said Brenda.

Not all have been fun and games during coronavirus for the new South Lake Tahoe resident. With a background in fitness, Brenda owned a personal training gym in Santa Clara County. With that shutting down due to the pandemic it looks like she'll have to make that closure permanent.

"The comments on my drink posts have been uplifting," said Brenda. "People are looking forward to daily drink and scenery. There is no drama, no politics and it is all positive and happy."

She even met a new neighbor through the balcony cocktail posts.

"It was hilarious," Brenda said. "Mike and I got out of our car in the driveway and neighbors walked over and figured out I was the lady with the cocktails because of the view. The neighbors then went out to their backyard on lawn chairs and raised their drinks."

They made it in that day's cocktail photo, though they appeared a bit small in the background.

Now drink followers ask about those neighbors.

"It's not so much about the drink," said Brenda. "It's the view and the seasons."

And it's about the connection in a world where that isn't so easy at the moment.

The most popular drink so far? A watermelon strawberry slushy in a Mason jar got over 1,200 likes and hundreds of comments.

Followers started asking for recipes and it eventually became a discussion about Brenda publishing a book.

Her photos have become so popular she has now gained a sponsor for that recipe book, Tahoe Blue Vodka. Most of the featured cocktails have been with Tahoe Blue Vodka, her favorite, and fans that don't live in the area are figuring out where to buy the local hit in their stores.

"I support local business, so why not plug them," she said.

Brenda also started her own Facebook page, Cocktail's on Brenda's Balcony (Found Here). Since starting May 7 there are already 1,750 followers.

With the same view on a new day through the seasons, she is also looking at creating a calendar. That will take a while as she'll need 12 months of photos to show the seasons change from her balcony.

"I feel really blessed that if we need to be sheltered, it's in Lake Tahoe," said Brenda. "It's been a great distraction."

The caption in the photo above: This is a birthday specialty that includes fresh strawberries, vanilla ice cream, Tahoe Blue vodka, and creme de coco. How could it get any better than that! I even put sprinkles on top of the whipped cream for your birthday