Рубрика: General

The Forest Hills residence was built in 1970 for the prominent late developer and landlord Angelo Sangiacomo. The Forest Hills residence was built in 1970 for the prominent late developer and landlord Angelo Sangiacomo.

The bike shares a 334cc single-cylinder DOHC engine with the reimagined Bantam. The bike shares a 334cc single-cylinder DOHC engine with the reimagined Bantam.

The 264-foot «Sky» will be topped with a towering 305-foot rig. The 264-foot «Sky» will be topped with a towering 305-foot rig.

Just when you thought you’d tried every margarita variety, another recipe appears from the archives. 

The toreador made its debut in 1937, in Billy Tarling’s Café Royal Bar Book – a full 16 years before the margarita first appeared in print (it appears alongside a very margarita-like recipe, though, called a picador – so the debate around the margarita’s origin continues.) The bartender who brought the toreador to my attention was agave expert Deano Moncrieffe, owner of London’s popular Hacha tequila bars and creator of the viral crystal-clear Mirror Margarita.

Moncrieffe recommends using a lightly aged reposado tequila “because the apricot really brings out the tequila’s notes of dried fruit and sweet spice.” But a crisp blanco such as Ocho also works. My tip for the apricot brandy would be the Lune D’Abricot by Merlet, a French, family-owned company that makes fabulous cognac and liqueurs (try a splash in a cognac-based sidecar). The author of Tequila: A Tasting Course, Millie Milliken, suggests adding a dash of Angostura Bitters to the mix, too. Or garnishing with a thyme sprig “to add some herbal and more earthy aromas.”

As the toreador proves, changing up the sweetening agent is a great way to give a Margarita a fresh twist. Simply swapping your Cointreau for a different brand of orange (or citrus) liqueur brings a subtle new flavor profile that can have a big impact.

I love the triple sec by London craft distiller Sacred – it’s a starburst of zestiness, with a fragrant, juicy finish that comes from hand-cut oranges and Amalfi lemon peels. The more floral Flor de Azar Orange Blossom Liqueur is made in Mexico from an exotic array of botanicals, including several types of citrus, plus orange blossom and tuberose. 

The lesser-known Cointreau Noir, which is based on a Cointreau recipe from the early 1900s, is also fabulous. Made from a blend of classic triple sec and Remy Cointreau cognac infused with walnuts and almonds, it has notes of bitter orange peel and caramelised nuts that give a margarita real class.

Earlier this year, Cointreau also very quietly launched Cointreau Citrus Series, a new range of limited-edition citrus distillates starting with Cointreau Corsican Pomelo. At 40 percent this product is technically more spirit than liqueur – but if you spliced it with a bit of sugar syrup it would do the job of triple sec very well. Look out for a new variety launching in the new year.

The brandy-based Pierre Ferrand Dry Curaçao is a orange curaçao in the old style – silky and rich with a tongue-tingling bitterness from curaçao oranges, that gives way to some very subtle notes of prune, lemon and vanilla. (The brand also does a lesser-spotted yuzu variety, that’s not nearly as good, sadly, but still rather a fun flex).

Campari can also be very good for giving a margarita an Italianate hit of bitter orange and a pretty splash of color. Just make your regular margarita with 5ml less of triple sec and add 5-10ml of Campari.

A classic Tommy’s margarita, of course, is made without any orange liqueur at all – instead it’s sweetened with agave syrup, which has a slightly more caramelized sweetness than a sugar-based triple sec. The Tommy’s was invented in the eighties at Tommy’s bar in San Francisco – and it remains for many agave purists the ultimate take on the drink. If you find yourself missing the citrus, just add a few dashes of Angostura Orange Bitters or the splendidly picante Regan’s Orange Bitters No.6.

The Toreador

• — 50ml blanco or reposado tequila

• — 20ml apricot brandy (I used Merlet Lune d’Abricot – depending on the sweetness of the brand you may want to tweak this by 5ml)

• — 25ml freshly squeezed lime juice

Glass: cocktail or ice-filled rocks

Garnish: none

Method: shake with ice and strain

The six-bedroom home on 17 Mile Drive offers stunning views of the putting green and the Pacific Ocean. The six-bedroom home on 17 Mile Drive offers stunning views of the putting green and the Pacific Ocean.

Most of the Macallan’s whisky is aged in sherry-seasoned casks, but not all of it. Most of the Macallan’s whisky is aged in sherry-seasoned casks, but not all of it.

The nearly 28,000-square-foot, under-construction megamansion on ultra-exclusive Indian Creek Island is being sold by L.A.-based cosmetic surgeon Dr. Aaron Rollins. The nearly 28,000-square-foot, under-construction megamansion on ultra-exclusive Indian Creek Island is being sold by L.A.-based cosmetic surgeon Dr. Aaron Rollins.

For 15 years, Mark Cho and Mats Klingberg have run two of the best clothing stores for men. Here the two founders discuss why clothes matter, what makes them proud and the importance of bozos. 

On different sides of the world, two men with a similar idea. An independent menswear store where guys could meet, talk, gain advice, discover stuff and buy clothes that make them feel good. Run by approachable, knowledgeable staff, and stocked with brands that you couldn’t find elsewhere.

Fifteen years later, Mark Cho, co-founder of The Armoury, and Mats Klingberg, the founder of Trunk Clothiers, have created distinctive – but in many ways complementary – retail identities by focusing on a curation of labels that they wear themselves. And in the process they’ve become two of the most respected, and well-dressed, flagbearers for contemporary-classic men’s style.

Mark Cho established The Armoury in Hong Kong in 2010 with his then business partner Alan See (who has since left), driven by a passion for tailoring (he also owns British haberdasher Drake’s) and a commitment to showcasing exquisite craftsmanship from hand-picked suppliers across the world. Brands include Alden, Cohérence, Frank Clegg and Ring Jacket.

A committed watch collector, Cho has expanded into notable watch collaborations with Swiss mavericks H. Moser & Cie., the Japanese independent Naoya Hida & Co. and the Scotland-based Paulin. The Armoury’s own line includes shoes, sports chinos, polo shirts and much else. There are now two Armoury stores in New York, and one in Hong Kong’s Peddar Arcade, which includes a cigar lounge.  

Mats Klingberg’s Trunk Clothiers, with locations first in London and then a second in Zurich, focuses on bringing in brands from Italy and Japan that become genuine wardrobe staples. Like The Armoury, Trunk has its own label, which includes cashmere knitwear, Oxford shirts, overcoats and tote bags. Trunk now stocks brands from around the world, including orSlow, Fedeli, Kaptain Sunshine and Caruso.

We brought the two founders together in Hong Kong recently. The conversation has been edited for length and clarity.

Congratulations on 15 years. What have you learnt about men and how they dress in that time?

Mats Klingberg: I started Trunk because I wanted to demystify menswear. I think lots of men get quite confused about all the conflicting information out there. There are so many rules. The fashion press always wants to come up with what’s new, what’s in, what’s out. Trunk has played a part in being above the fray and giving clear advice that’s always relevant.

Men need to listen to themselves, see what works, and what they feel comfortable in. Once they find their style, the trick is to not let what goes on in the outside world distract you too much.

When men first come in, do they know what they’re looking for or do you advise them?

MK: Some know exactly what they want. Many don’t. Even though it’s only clothing, it’s a very important part of a person’s identity. If you’re not sure what you’re wearing is right, it can impact your self-esteem. But I don’t want people to get distracted by clothing. Focus on what’s really important in life: work, love, family and so on. I know that lots of guys can get very stressed if they go in for a trip that includes both holiday and business, for example, not knowing what to pack. I want to keep it as simple as possible, where you can mix and match and dress up and down.

Early on, many guys came in saying, «I’ll come back on Saturday with my partner,» because they didn’t trust their own judgment. Over time, our customers really came to trust our advice because we believe in honest opinions. It’s all about the long term. Everything we’ve advised them to buy, their partners have liked. We’re like partner-approved retailers.

Mark Cho: I couldn’t agree more. It’s always about how to guide men, how to be pragmatic. Those are good retail tenets. People want to be comfortable; they want to figure out what they need to wear – because, like you said, it’s the way the world sees you. They see your clothes before they hear your voice so you have to look how you want the world to see you.

You don’t have to oversell or change everything every season. People don’t change that fast, which is why we’ve had customers for 15 years. They enjoy our way of looking at clothes, and it suits them.

MK: What’s the age bracket of your clients, Mark? Ours is roughly 35 to 55, but the big spenders are probably 55 to 65. I usually say I am my customer, but this wasn’t always the case. When I was in my 20s, I was much more experimental: I shaved my hair off; went platinum blonde; went through a sort of hippie phase that maybe lasted for two months. I tried it all. My style now is very similar to how I dressed as a teenager.

MC: Our demographic has probably aged upwards along with our customers; we have a lot of who’ve been there for so long. We focus on serving the customer that we grew up with, rather than adjusting the business to draw in a new client.

We do get young guys, though, figuring out what the hell they should wear. How does this whole ‘getting dressed’ work? We get more cultural differences in New York, actually. We don’t get it so much here in Hong Kong. If you’re wealthy enough as a young person, you’ve probably got some of your parents’ money to buy clothing. Whereas in New York, I think young people who are well-paid and professional want to start building their wardrobe with us.

As well as selling many unexpected and interesting brands, you both have a custom component to what you offer.

MC: The nice thing about having the custom programme is that you can really dig into the nuances of the fabric and how that’s important and appropriate for your wardrobe. I like the idea of having certain clothing for certain occasions. Something that’s so versatile you could wear year-round isn’t really for me. I like having a summer wardrobe and a winter wardrobe. Within those wardrobes, I prefer having certain types of clothing for particular occasions. If you have a special occasion and special clothes for that occasion, it makes it feel more memorable, more important to you.

MK: When we started we didn’t do it because I thought, «We’re in London, several brands do custom very well.» But over time I think the business developed; now it’s a small but growing part of our business. It has always been more for people like me – with very long arms, normal sizes just don’t fit me.

What gives you the most satisfaction?

MK: Satisfaction for me is always just seeing the customer reactions, seeing them really find themselves and feel confident in how they want to dress. You can see it in their eyes, their body language, and posture. That gives me joy. 

MC: I agree. You meet fantastic customers, and you feel grateful to them, and they’re grateful to you. That kind of makes the whole thing worth it. I think for both of our businesses, customers are kind of self selected. We don’t get that many bozos walking in here.

I’ll add one more thing: the watch collabs we’ve done is something that I’m quite proud of. Watch development projects are pretty long: two, three years. Watches have very specific aesthetics, brands have very specific design languages, and the fact that they let me mess around with that, and we then make something that was very representative of both partners, is a wonderful thing.

Finally, is there a typical Trunk man? Or Armoury man?

MK: It’s people with a global mindset, they travel, they’re generally well educated, they care about things, they’re curious, they’re good people.

MC: Speaking of attracting good people, you’ve had a lot of staff for a long time.

MK: Yes. I wonder, maybe I’m too good to them. I have several that have been with me over ten years.

MC: And it’s important to have customers who don’t burn your staff out too, because you can really only take on so many bozos.

trunkclothiers.com thearmoury.com

MTM will make just 25 examples of the Pangaea GT, which is based on the Audi RS 6. MTM will make just 25 examples of the Pangaea GT, which is based on the Audi RS 6.

The ultra-modern home and race shop garage was built by and for an auto enthusiast and comes with a gold-level membership to the Monticello Motor Club.  The ultra-modern home and race shop garage was built by and for an auto enthusiast and comes with a gold-level membership to the Monticello Motor Club.