Why Coopers’ Craft 82.2 Bourbon Makes A Perfect Bloody Belle

 Complementary flavors go a long way when crafting the perfect cocktail, and a Bloody Mary is no exception. Surprisingly, tomato juice has a fair amount of flavor and acidity, so it needs the right spirit to balance its rich profile. Coopers’ Craft’s 82.2 bourbon is rich in lemon and apple, with a dash of spice that adds smooth body and enhanced flavor to this Bloody Belle.

How To Make The Bloody Belle At Home

• 2 oz. Coopers’ Craft Bourbon
• 6 oz. Tomato Juice
• Squeeze of Lemon
• Dash of Worcestershire
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Dash of your favorite hot sauce

Glassware: Highball

Garnish: Olives, Bacon, Lemon Slice

Instructions: Combine all ingredients into an ice-filled shaker. Vigorously shake and strain into ice-filled glass. Top with garnish ....

J.Crew and Nike's Killshot collaboration makes a comeback this March

J.Crew's sneaker collaborations have been a big hit with customers, but one particular style continued to sell out and quickly became a staple of their footwear lineup. We're talking about J.Crew's re-release of the Nike Killshot 2. The Killshot 2 disappeared for a bit, but J.Crew has caved to demand and is bringing the sneaker back once again. The Killshots will be available for presale at their Soho NY and Grove LA stores and a full release will follow shortly thereafter.  (via acquire.com)

j.crew.com

WHAT A TIMELESS GIFT FOR DAD.....

This year's baseball season is almost at a close, but no matter: you wouldn't want to log too many innings with an object as unique as the Killspencer Baseball Glove. True to the brand's style, it's made from black full-grain leather with black bullhide accents and black sheepskin interior lining. If you'd like to add a personal touch, you can get a custom monogram — up to eight characters — hand-stitched onto the thumb panel in contrasting white.

(UNCRATE)

$1350 KILLSPENCER.com

Nudie releases the perfect duffle....

There are plenty of leather and canvas bags on the market, but none of those options look like this. Nudie's Eriksson Keepall will certainly get the attention of all the denim fans out there with its organic indigo denim construction, which is perfectly complemented by a natural vegetable tanned saddle leather. You've also got brushed antique studs and leather handles looped the wide eye grommets and the inside features organic cotton poplin lining. 

$549, nudiejeans.com (acquire.com)

Scott Campbell creates a stunning must-have for design-savvy oenophiles.

Exclusive to Shinola, the solid brass corkscrew, an essential tool for the home bar, depicts engraved patterns and sigils which represent inspired ideas and the focus and determination to act upon them. Much in the same way a tattoo is conferred upon the bearer, in the symbolic artwork on the SAVED Wines corkscrew, Scott sees a dissemination of “good juju” into the world.

Inspired by the enduring symbolism of wine throughout history, tattoo artist Scott Campbell was moved to pursue wine as an alternate artistic medium to express his art by creating SAVED Wines -- a nod to his tattoo studio SAVED Tattoo in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, and the sanctity found by pursuing one’s passion.

$125 Shinola.com

Cocktail : Long Thailand Iced Tea

INGREDIENTS: 

½ ounce honey

½ ounce boiling water

2 ounces red Thai tea

1 ounce sweetened condensed milk

1 ounce brandy

1 ounce dark rum

1 ounce rye whiskey

Ice

2 ounces club soda

Lemon twist, for garnish

PAUL SMITH KEEPS ITS SIMPLE AND COLORFUL WITH ITS "MA" WATCH

Its amazing what a little color will do. Case in point: Paul Smith's "Ma" watch. The silhouette isn't anything special, but add some hits of color to the dial and you have a bold, but simple dress watch with a whole lot of personality. At 7.5mm, the watch is slim and ideal for sitting under your cuff in those dressier of situations and on aesthetic value alone it can stand toe to toe with the best of them. 

(Acquire.com)

PORSCHE DESIGN UPDATES THEIR CLASSIC AVIATOR FOR 2015

One of the most famous silhouettes in eyewear has always been the Porsche Design Aviator with its twist on the classic pilot design, but amplified with oversized lenses and a interchangeable lens system. Handmade in Japan, the P'8613 is that same silhouette with a lightweight titanium frame an a acetate-framed lens that adds a whole new look to the style. You also get another pair of lenses without the acetate to maintain the original's styling.

LOVE HULTÉN’S “GOLDEN APPLE” COMBINES NOSTALGIA & MODERN TECHNOLOGY

 

Though we’ve covered Swedish designer Love Hultén‘s nostalgia rich, arcade inspired objects before, we thought his newest creation deserved another look. Dubbed “Golden Apple,” the walnut wood recreation of Apple’s 1984 Macintosh computer comes complete with a golden keyboard and subtle gold details. The functional and stunningly accurate mini comp also features a disc drive and wooden mouse.

Gothenburg-based Hultén is known for turning to the past for design inspiration. Yet even still, he manages to infuse all he creates with a wonderful sense of timeliness and modernity.

The Sunday Ride: A ONE OF A KIND FERRARI VIGNALE ON THE AUCTION BLOCK

Next month, collectors will have an opportunity to bid on one of those most unique Ferrari builds in the world, a 1953 250 Europa by Vignale. Only 22 of the 250 Europas were built before the introduction of the second series and of the 22, only four were bodied by Vignale. This specific model was shipped to New York in 1953 and was then put on display at the World Motor Sports Show at Madison Square Garden in 1954.

Since then, the car has seen a handful of owners throughout the US and then ended up in Switzerland where it received a thorough restoration and finally ended up back in the US where it won the 2015 Cavallino Classic award and is now coming full circle as it goes on sale at the Driven by Disruption event in New York, where it was originally placed on display nearly 60 years ago.

THE NIKE AIR MAG 2015

You've heard the rumors and now they're here. Yes, the Nike Air Mag complete with working powerlaces is a real thing and if you hope to get your hands on a pair you're going to have to pony up big time as Nike plans to once again make them an exclusive limited edition to be auctioned next Spring to support the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research. The company has also hinted that this is the first iteration and is currently testing the technology across multiple footwear styles. So don't worry, a mainstream powerlacing Flyknit might just be around the corner.

PERSOL 2015 FILM NOIR EDITIONS

One of our favorite release from Persol last year was their Film Noir Editions, a collection of frames inspired by the moody, classic mysteries that were popular in the '40s and '50s. The collection returns this year with some new styles and the return of their Phoenix Arrow. 

Used in the '50s, the Phoenix Arrow was a design detail inspired by mythical creature of the same name and adorns the temples of their latest Film Noir editions. Their latest style, the PO3112S, is a squarer frame with soft contours and a variety of acetate colorways and polarized lens options.

More info at persol.com

DAMASQUINA'S NANO BELT WATCH STRAPS

So you just left the dealer and came away with the vintage watch of your dreams, but the strap on the watch isn't quite right. Don't sweat it, Japanese leather goods brand Damasquina has a beautiful collection of leather NATO straps that are more than worthy of your special timepiece.

Their straps are made in Japan from a single piece of vegetable tanned leather with polished brass hardware that will look especially great on a classic gold watch. The 18mm straps come in four colors, but we're pretty taken with the navy and natural leather options highlighted above.

$60, available now at unionmade.com

tokyobike Custom City Cycle

tokyobike has just released a custom city bike that was specially designed for London-based retailer Trunk. The altered version of tokyobike’s CS model has a Cr-Mo olive green stainless steel frame, brown leather Brooks saddle with matching two-tie closure grips on the handlebars, and an exclusive set of wheels. A badge with the tokyobike logo has been placed above the stem of the frame, a signature feature of the brand. The stylish single-speed bike was designed to create fluid, stop-and-go riding in a city environment. A limited amount of bikes are available for sale at Trunk’s London store.

LIBRATONE DIVA

Soundbars are convenient, but odds are you would rather hide it than have it sitting under your TV. That isn't the case with Libratone's DIVA, their speakers are designed like furniture pieces and their newest model is definitely one you would proudly have on full display.

The speaker features the brand's 360-degree "FullRoom" sound that has a toal of 225W of power that includes a powerful bass driver, two midrange drivers, and two tweeters. It features AirPlay and DLNA, Bluetooth 4.0 connectivity, NFC for easy pairing, and Spotify Connect.

PENHALIGON'S BAYOLEA

Penhaligon's, one of the oldest fragrance houses in England, launches a very comprehensive collection of men's grooming products which all feature a fragrance note reformulated from a classic scent from their archives.

Featuring notes of citrus, pepper, and woody notes, Bayolea consists of shaving products that includes beard oil, shaving cream, and aftershave, cologne, moisturizing balm, body wash, cleansing mask, deodorant, and even a hair pomade and moustache wax.

Earlier this month, Maison Kitsuné arrived at New York Fashion Week with their “Effortlessly French” Spring/Summer 2015 presentation, and as always, their lineup was beautiful. The brand now take us around backstage at The Standard High Line Hotel to capture the designs and hard work that made the show seem so effortless. In this “Behind the Scenes” video, we see the models being prepped along with whatever else goes on backstage before they hit the floor.

WEISS SPECIAL ISSUE FIELD WATCHES

Proving independent American watchmaking is still alive and well, LA-based Weiss has been crafting some serious timepieces and is now launching two special editions based on their timeless Field Watch designs.

The two new special edition styles include a "latte" and "carbon" dial which are machined from naval brass and both feature steel skeletonized hour and minute hands. The cases are sized at 42mm and are made from 316L stainless steel and houses their manually-wound movement that is assembled from 100 Swiss parts and are hand-finished at their Los Angeles workshop.

$1250, Weiss

NIKON D810

Already a monster of a camera, Nikon is releasing a new full-frame DSLR, the D810. Even with the 36 megapixel sensor, Nikon has manage to squeeze out even more image quality and performance to create one of its most versatile camera bodies in the lineup.

At the core of the camera is their new EXSPEED 4 image processor that is 30% faster than the previous chip and supports a wider ISO range from 64 to 12,800 and can shoot upto 1200 images or 40 minutes of video. It also features 1080p/60 video recording, 12-bit uncompressed RAW, 5 fps continuous shooting in full-frame, and a large 3.2 inch 1229k-Dot display. The Nikon D810 will hit shelves in late July.

The Thursday Cocktail Recipe

The Martinez

2.0 oz Dry Gin

3/4 oz Sweet Vermouth

1/4 ounce maraschino liqueur

Dash of Angostura bitters

Lemon twist for garnish

CREED ACQUA ORIGINALE COLLECTION

Officially launching this July, Creed releases the Acqua Originale Collection, a line of fragrances inspired by perfumer Olivier Creed's travels across the world.

Beginning with Vetiver Geranium, this scent is based on the island of Java, Creed's favorite Indonesian destination. The fragrance is a woody and fresh scent with notes of apples, bergamot, geranium, cedar musk, and amber. Second is Asian Green Tea with its citrusy and sandalwood notes. Third is Aberdeen Lavender, inspired by Queen Victoria and is a mix of green notes with smokey and floral accents. Last, but not least is Cedre Blanc with its woody notes, spicy cardamom, geranium, and vetiver. Each scent is available today for pre-order and will be available in the middle of July.

$300, Creed

Ally Capellino makes this bespoke market bag for The Gourmand‘s upcoming Issue 4 launch. The body is assembled with dark navy waxed cotton which we’ve seen from their bike bags, topped off with veg-tanned leather handles that will age beautifully with time. Bright yellow canvas adorns the inner compartments for a sophisticated contrast that subtly peeks through. A market bag perfect for markets, indeed.

RAY-BAN OUTDOORSMAN AVIATOR SUNGLASSES WITH HAND-STITCHED DEER LEATHER DETAIL

Another take on the iconic Aviator shade, the “Outdoorsman” from Ray-Ban adds some rather interesting detail to the standard frame. The brow bar and ear hooks feature soft, hand-stitched deer leather pieces, giving the frames a kind of Dad on safari feel. Available in gold metal with either tan or mahogany leather as well as silver metal with beige hide, styles are available with polarized gradient lenses as an option

The Sunday Drive : ROLLS-ROYCE PHANTOM DROPHEAD COUPE WATERSPEED COLLECTION

Rolls-Royce lifts the curtains on a new Drophead Coupe inspired by record-breaking Bluebird K3 boat piloted by Sir Malcolm Campbell. The Drophead Coupe Waterspeed is finished in Maggiore Blue, a paint scheme based on the color of Campbell's K3. The blue theme doesn't end there as the company has gone as far as to bring the exterior finish to the V12 engine which shines in the same Maggiore Blue, the first time a Rolls Royce engine has been painted to match the exterior.

THE HILL-SIDE WATCH BANDS

If you've been looking for a new band, but want to accessorize with something a bit different than your usual NATO strap, The Hill-Side has got some great new options that will bring a nice pop of color to your favorite timepiece. Using their Japanese fabrics, the Hill-Side came up with a colorful range of straps finished with tan leather trim and mil-spec buckles and eyelets.

$59, Hickoree's

DOM PERIGNON P2 1998

Housed in a brushed-aluminum box, Dom Perignon releases their new high-end vintage, P2-1998. P2, meaning second Plenitude, a champagne that has spent 12 years on its lees and sits for another two years prior to its disgorgement. P2 will see its release in limited quantities this summer with a wider release set in the Fall.

The Thursday Cocktail Recipe

Sprezzatura

1.5 oz Cathead HoneySuckle Vodka

0.5 oz Aperal

Squeeze of Freah of Frash Lemon

Topm with Tonic

THOM BROWNE TB 800

Thom Browne's latest aviators continue the suitmaker's taste for refined classics with their TB 800 frame. This particular model caught our attention with its gold frame that's encircled in navy blue acetate that's matched with white earhooks and an elongated brow bridge that really sets itself apart from your usual aviator designs.

TAG HEUER MERIDIIST INFINITE

Sure, the new TAG Heuer Meridiist Infinite has a got a Sapphire screen, grade 5 titanium enclosure, and carbon fiber inserts, but those things are nowhere near as amazing as its killer feature: solar charging. Under the the sapphire display lies invisible photovoltaic cells that can charge the phone while in standby via natural or artificial light, a feature they're claiming to be the first "Perpetual Power Reserve" for a phone.

TOM FORD BUCKLEY DUFFEL

Tom Ford has finally opened his e-commerce store and while none of the clothes are available (yet), the shop is launching with a wide selection of his eyewear, bags, accessories, grooming and shoe collections. Among the wallet-burning options is the Buckley Duffel (above - $4540) in this grainy green cowhide leather, an perfect duffel bag in a beautiful color that's sure to last a lifetime.