Clark chukkas are one of my go to nice, and casual shoes (boots). The Clark’s are great value for the money too. I like their Wallabees too, but those tend to be pricier and are a less universal style.

A clean pair of Adidas Stan Smiths can look good too. Really any of the simple sneakers will look good with most outfits, like these, the Nike Cortez, or whatever. I don’t like sneakers that look too technical or chunky, but that’s just me.

Johnston and Murphy has a mixed reputation and are expensive, but I’ve liked the two pairs I’ve had from them. They’ve been worth their price too, the last pair I had from them lasted about 8 years.

At a bar I don’t know, I’ll usually order off their menu or go for beer. I’ll try whatever they are saying is their specialty, or I’ll just pass on the whole mixed drinks affair. If I’m at some new bar I’m probably not trying it out as my new favorite spot, I’m probably visiting someplace and will never be back. I just want something tasty and easy.

Over the course of this summer I went against my better judgement and I tried to order boulvardiers at two different bars. Both times it was at a nice bar that appeared to have a modern cocktail program and both times led to lengthy discussions about what I was asking for.

I’m not much help on the specific question, but I hate to have it die on the vine. So, I’ll offer what advice I have.

I know a couple of people who shop at DXL and I’ve heard them recommend it to others, so I’d check with what they’re offering. The guys that I know that shop there dress well.

The other place I’d look is Bonobos. They’ve got a wider selection of sizes than most retailers and I’ve been happy with everything I’ve bought from them.

That looks pretty good. I’ve always seen it made with some variety or combination of aged rum, usually demerara. My personal favorite for this (and most tiki drinks) is Hamilton Jamaican Black Rum. Using white rum might be the right call for serving it with dinner.

I think you could turn just about any Jungle Bird recipe into a decent batch cocktail. Most of the ingredients are pretty stable. The juices would go off first, but not likely over the course of a few days. If you need them to sit for more than a week, then you probably want to look at something with spirits only.

The Jungle Bird could fit that bill pretty well. It’s one of my absolute favorite drinks, and the only tiki drink my wife likes. It’s fruity, sweet, and sour and most of all it’s a lot. My fear would be that it might be too much to pair with dinner.

I had a clarified jungle bird once, and that was a kind of muted version. That may have been a function of their recipe or the process. It wasn’t a bar I go to regularly, so I can’t really say why it was mellowed out.

It’s not wrong, but I don’t know how helpful it is. I think it could be helpful for identifying complimentary colors, but it’s missing some context about which articles of clothing are which colors.

For example, it lists pink as a matching color for light blue. IMO, light blue pants with a pink shirt works fine, but a light blue shirt wouldn’t work so well with pink pants. In general you’d want your pants a darker color or cooler tone than your shirt.

Dead Man’ Handle

1.5 oz White Tequila

.5 oz Aperol

.5 oz Lime Juice

.5 oz Orgeat

Shake vigoursly over ice and serve in a tall glass over crushed ice. Sprinkle some Tajin on top.

I tried coming up with my own take on this and none of the changes I tried made it better. There’s a bar near me that makes their own sesame orgeat and I bet that would be good.

My first thought is to look for something kind of mild to not overpower the food, but still has some earthy/roasted flavors. Maybe a Montenegro spritz?

What time of year will the event be? If it’s fall/winter I’d not do a spritz and maybe try something coffee flavored.

Do you also have a link to a good recipe for making syrups from peels? I’ve had mixed results and it’s been awhile since I tried.

I made a couple Ford’s for myself over the weekend.

1.5 Ounces Gin 1 Ounce Dry Vermouth 0.5 Ounce Benedictine Few dashes orange bitters Measurements are loose estimates. Garnish with a bit of lemon peel.

I really like these. They’re a little more herbaceous and slightly sweeter compared to a classic martini.

I totally agree. This sounds really good, but it barely resembles a Paloma.

Mostly settled. I make the occasional purchase to replace something that’s worn out or to fill in a seasonal gap, and when I do I try to be a little experimental.

I wear classic jacket and tie stuff for work and American workwear when I’m home.

I was unaware of this community until this post, I joined shortly after.

I feel like it’s always kind of a niche topic. Too many people see one style or another as something to be derided for being exclusive and/or unnecessary. Whether its calling suits classist or streetwear drops wasteful. Not too many people are interested in fashion in general, especially men’s fashion.

Too late to make the July cut off, but my favorite pineapple juice cocktail is the Jungle Bird.

Tropical and bitter. It’s the only tiki drink my wife likes. The classic recipe wants a little bit of banana liquor, I never have that at home and it’s just fine without it.

Nothing to submit this time. I tried a couple of things with Ancho Reyes, but nothing came together. I’ve had that bottle for almost two years and haven’t ever found any recipe with it that really works.

Had a couple of mocktails at a friend’s place over the holiday. The fake Campari is really good, everything else is pretty meh.

They did make a good NA bicycle thief spritz. With grapefruit seltzer and NA versions of gin and Campari.

That’s a good idea. Or maybe a fresh chili pepper and sub in mole bitters? I wasn’t planning on working any more on this, but maybe I’ll try play around with it this weekend.

This is a tough one. I tried subbing rum into a perfect Manhattan and didn’t care for it. I make a tiki old fashioned that’s been a big hit and it’s not too sweet, but it’s definitely not dry. That’s still the best “dry” rum cocktail in my repertoire, so I stuck with the old fashioned format and worked on a different variation. Here’s a rum/coffee old fashioned.

1.5 oz Plantation 5-year, 0.5 oz Wray and Nephew 151 0.75 oz Perc, 2 dashes Angostura bitters. Serve on ice with a wide orange peel.

Smells of coffee, alcohol, and orange. Tastes of a strong earthy coffee sweetened with molasses. A little bit of banana, and a little bit of warming spice. Not too bitter and not too sweet.

Notes and other thoughts: There’s probably a better rum or rum blend. Also, the 1/2 ounce Wray and Nephew is an estimate. I tried it with just Plantation and thought it needed more punch, so I put in a splash of the 151 and it helped. It’s probably less than that amount. Perc is a regional coffee liquor, I don’t know if it’s available outside of New England. Kahlua would not make an acceptable substitute, but I think Mr. Black would. The orange peel isn’t a great garnish for this. It doesn’t mesh well with the other flavors. Not sure what would be.

I’ve never made clear ice before, mostly because I didn’t want to devote the space to it. Just moved into a new place and it already has a standup freezer in the basement. I’m planning on trying out making clear ice sometime this summer after I finish unpacking.

What I’d really like are some tools for making something like pebble ice without an expensive contraption.

I was thinking of a Boulevardier when I started, although I deviated from that pretty quickly. I’ll riff on this a little more before the end of the month.

1 oz rye, 1 oz Cynar, 1/4 oz dry curacao, dash orange bitters. I would garnish with a twist of lemon or orange, but I haven’t had fresh citrus around for awhile.

It’s pleasantly bittersweet and warming, overall pretty good. The orange flavor goes well with both the rye and the Cynar. Could be better though, I think the sweetness is not right. Maybe a less sweet orange liqueur or maybe add a splash of maraschino to make it sweeter?