Alcohol Sales Are Falling. Maybe the $38.00 Martini Finally Did It. Sticker Shock Yes, us. The country that perfected the three-martini lunch, tailgating, bottomless brunch and the idea that bourbon somehow tastes better with a good cigar. According to IWSR, total U.S. beverage-alcohol volume fell 5% in 2025. Beer and wine each dropped 6%, while spirits fell 4%. Gallup reported in 2026 that only 54% of American adults say they drink alcohol, tied with 2025 for the lowest leve

I Feel Better But I Miss The Martini! The Standard Let me start with this: I didn’t quit drinking because I had a drinking problem. I quit because I wanted to see what would happen. I like drinking. Not getting drunk (haven’t done that since high school) but just drinking. There’s a difference. I love an ice-cold, (Grey Goose please) very dirty martini before we head out for Friday-night dinner not only because it sets up the evening, but because martini’s in Palm Beach ar

A Whisper On The Wrist The New Cricket All watches tell time. Some watches tell everyone you have money. But some, like the Vulcain Cricket Titanium, tells everyone you have taste. Vulcain has never been interested in playing it safe, and the Cricket Titanium is proof that the brand still knows how to have a little fun. It is handsome without being precious, sporty without screaming “I own a yacht,” and mechanical in the most gloriously old-school way, because the Cricket is

There are reservations, and then there are reservations. One is something you make on an app three weeks in advance, selecting 7:15 because 7:30 mysteriously disappeared while you were typing in your credit card number. The other begins with, “Hey, it’s Joseph. Any chance you can squeeze us in around eight?” “Of course. Come on by.” That is the glorious little world of being a regular, and I’m convinced it remains one of life's most underrated luxuries. Being a regular isn't

A Day at the Porsche Experience Center Atlanta Style, Design and Speed There are driving experiences, and then there are experiences that completely reset your definition of what a car can do. My recent day at the Porsche Experience Center Atlanta was firmly in the second category. For anyone who loves cars, driving, and the feeling of pushing a machine to its limits, this place is nothing short of spectacular. Block out a day, pony up the $1000.00 and get ready to sweat in

Camiceria Artigiana The Finest Shirtmaker in Italy Mother and Daughter in their Turin Shop In an era when so much of luxury has become mass-produced, there are still a handful of places where craftsmanship reigns supreme. Tucked away in the heart of Turin is one such treasure: Camiceria Artigiana, a family-owned shirtmaker that has quietly built a reputation for producing some of Italy's finest bespoke shirts. Carmen. Il Maestro The story begins with Carmen, who entered the

Read 'em and weep There comes a point in every watch collector's life when simply owning watches is no longer enough. First, you buy a nice watch. Then you buy a second watch because, naturally, the first one needs company. Soon you find yourself standing in your library explaining to bewildered dinner guests why a faded tropical dial on a 1968 Rolex Submariner is "far more desirable" than one that actually looks new. Congratulations. You've become one of us. And if you're go

A cigar born from adversity Amar by AJ Fernandez When a devastating fire tore through AJ Fernandez’s flagship factory in Estelí, Nicaragua, in 2025, millions of cigars were lost and a significant portion of the operation was damaged. Rather than simply rebuild, Abdel “AJ” Fernandez chose to create something meaningful from the experience. The result is Amar, one of the most anticipated cigar releases of 2026. It’s a blend that serves as both a thank-you note to the cigar comm

The Flask at Hand A gold watch. A hand-stitched Italian loafer. A perfectly tailored sport coat… all luxury items that reveal themselves to others immediately, and then there’s the flask. The flask belongs in the ‘quiet’ luxury space. Typically hidden and available to only those you share it with. So cool. Teathered Pleasure By Dunhill Long before insulated tumblers became fashion accessories and designer water bottles appeared in gym bags, gentlemen carried flasks. Not becau

Summer Fly Fishing in Montana, Colorado, and Wyoming Silence On Earth There are hobbies, there are sports, and then there is fly fishing. Fly fishing is not simply about catching fish. (If that were the goal, there are far easier ways to fill a cooler) Fly fishing is about patience, precision, observation, and perhaps most importantly, slowing down in a world that seems determined to speed up. Stand knee-deep in the crystal clear 40-degree Madison River in Montana at sunrise

Eight Luxury Destinations Worth the Airfare There comes a point every summer when the fortunate begin their annual migration. The private terminals get busier. Linen gets whiter, Rosé consumption reaches medically questionable levels, and a familiar parade of entrepreneurs, financiers, celebrities, polo players, and well-heeled escape artists disperses across the globe in search of sunshine, scenery, and a table that was booked six months ago. From the cliffs of Italy to the

Our Favorite Lights Cartier Panthère de Cartier Lighter The Panthère is Cartier’s version of black-tie. Elegant, architectural, and impossibly refined, it looks as if it belongs in the pocket of someone who owns both a château and a vintage Ferrari. The clean lines and lacquer finish make it jewelry disguised as a cigar accessory. Does it light a cigar? Absolutely. But its real job is making everyone at the table ask, “What is that?” before you even strike the flame. S.T. Du

It's the 'little things' that make a mans bar, a BAR Exceptionally Stocked There was a time when a man’s barware consisted of three things: a cloudy rocks glass from college, a half-broken corkscrew, and whatever whiskey happened to be on sale. Thankfully, those days are dying a deserved death. Because in 2026, the modern luxury bar cart has evolved into something far more important: a declaration of taste. We are now living in the era of “Raising the Bar(ware).” And yes, the

The Premium Cigar Association Puffs Its Stuff La Aurora Prime The 2026 Premium Cigar Association show in New Orleans confirmed one thing immediately: the cigar industry has officially stopped pretending it’s just about cigars. PCA now feels less like an old tobacco trade show and more like a strange collision between Art Basel, Watches and Wonders, a whiskey summit, and a members-only nightclub where everyone smells faintly of cedar, leather, and misplaced confidence. This is

The Seiko Presage Cocktail Makes It Happy Hour 24/7 Seiko has built an entire subculture around turning cocktails into wristwear, and frankly, most of it leans a little too… Instagram-friendly. Pretty. Decorative. Borderline precious. Then along comes the Presage “Silver Bullet” Cocktail Time GMT and reminds everyone that Seiko still knows how to make a watch that actually looks like a man might wear it. The inspiration is the Silver Bullet cocktail, made from gin, kümmel, le

Photo: Holts.com There’s a certain expectation when a brand stamps “20th Anniversary” on a cigar, this isn’t supposed to be just good, it’s supposed to be a statement. With the AJ Fernandez 20th Anniversary, what you get is something a bit more measured: a beautifully executed cigar that leans heavily into the brand’s strengths, but stops just short of rewriting the script. From the moment you take it out of the box, it looks the part. The dark, oily wrapper has that rich, al

Is this you? There is a particular species of modern man who begins with a perfectly innocent purchase of a nice watch to celebrate a promotion, birthday, new child or mild midlife crisis, and ends up three years later explaining escapement geometry to a bartender who absolutely did not ask and nods in amazement. This man is known simply as The Watch Guy . At first glance he appears normal. Respectably dressed, pleasant and possibly even charming. But give him two minutes a

If Kentucky is the Ivy League of bourbon, Wyoming Whiskey is the scrappy kid who shows up in boots, skips the dress code, and aces the final. Founded in 2009 in Kirby, Wyoming , the brand had no business succeeding. Which, of course, is exactly why it did. The idea came from ranchers Brad and Kate Mead , along with attorney David DeFazio , who looked out at Wyoming’s vast, whiskey-free landscape and thought, Why not here? After all, the state had pristine limestone-filtered

High end watches can get overcrowded with complications, case metals, and the quiet flex of a recognizable bracelet, but the true soul of a watch still lives where the eye goes first : the dial . It is the stage, the mood, the handshake, the “how do you do”. Long before you admire a movement’s escapement or debate the merits of a column wheel, the dial decides whether a watch whispers, shouts, or seduces. For the great houses and independent masters, dial-making is not decora

Moo Somewhere along the way, the hamburger (once a $5 paper-wrapped sog of meat and bun) decided it deserved a PR agent, a sommelier, and a line around the corner. Today, burgers are no longer food you ate with one hand while driving a stick, they are statements , even events and have names! So what is it about burgers that has the global restaurant market buzzing, foaming, and charging $38 for ground meat on a buttery bun? Let’s dig in and preferably with someone else’s