While everyone else may be talking about a new watch from Apple, there are incredible watches made right here in American that you should be checking out as well.
The Runwell pictured above is a classic, hand-assembled watch made in Detroit by Shinola. Features of the watch include:
– A sapphire crystal, Super-LumiNova printed dial details
– A solid stainless steel case with screw down crown
– Three hands and date indicator driven by the Detroit-built Argonite 1069 high-accuracy quartz movement
– Laser-etched case and etched lightning bolt on the buckle
If you like attention to detail and beautiful styling, you’re going to love these watches. Browse the Shinola site for watches, and then check out their leather goods as well, along with the bicycles!
It’s great to see companies like Shinola bring manufacturing and quality back to the domestic market. The products aren’t cheap, but you’re still getting excellent value for your money.
Yes, it’s time for another four-part salute to the just now bygone Turner Classic Movies Festival of 2015. For the second year in a row, I’ll be presenting cocktails of my own creation inspired by some of the amazing films I saw this year. (If you’re interested in last year’s selections, start here and work your way backwards.)
We’re starting with a drink inspired by the restoration I was personally most anxious to see, not because it’s a particularly well made film but because it’s such a strong piece of material that all producer Jack L. Warner had to do was buy a Broadway show lock stock and barrel, including all of the original cast, and just throw it up on the screen, which is pretty much exactly what happened.
I speak of 1972’s film version of”1776,” a musical which began with an odd conceit by history teacher turned Brill Building songwriter Sherman Edwards. It suggested that a play about the creation and signing of Thomas Jefferson’s Declaration of Independence should involve singing and some fairly broad comedy along with the more serious history lesson. It’s a childhood favorite I (and a bunch of my friends, for some reason) have carried on into adulthood, and it seems like the perfect inspiration for a drink that’s as messy as our nation’s history. It’s basically a flip, a drink as old school as it gets, while being more than a bit radical in terms of its many ingredients.
Yes, I’ve found yet another excuse to make a drink using the world’s most delightfully controversial cocktail ingredient. That’s because today’s drink takes it’s name from my favorite song in “1776,” which compares to the birth of a nation to the birth of it’s national bird…and you know where little birds come from.
Combine the egg and all the liquid ingredients other than the bitters in a cocktail shaker. Shake without ice to emulsify the egg. Add lots of ice and shake again, much more vigorously this time. Strain into a chilled wine glass. Wait for just a moment as a small cap of foam will appear at the top of the glass. Add 3-4 drops of bright red Peychaud’s Bitters to the top for color. Toast the many flavors that comprise this problematic but fabulous country.
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Now, on to the ingredients. Rye, perhaps even more than bourbon, is probably the most authentically North American whiskey and, well, I simply couldn’t ignore the highly coincidental brand name, 1776. Applejack, basically American-style apple brandy, was largely forgotten until recently but it’s the quintessential early American spirit. A version of it was made and sold by no less than George Washington himself. (Yes, General Washington had little to do with the declaration and is not physically present in the play or film “1776,” but he nevertheless plays an important off-screen/off-stage role.)
The rest of my selections here take their cue from the fact that Declaration of Independence author Thomas Jefferson was a farmer who was personally quite partial to vegetables and fruit over meats and such. Cynar is a bittersweet liqueur that’s well known to the cocktail cognoscenti as being derived from artichokes, which were grown at Jefferson’s Monticello along with, you guessed it, raspberries and cherries. Peychaud’s bitters were selected largely for their bright red/pink color but also because they hail from the city of New Orleans, circa 1830. That capital of cocktailing was, of course, acquired for our great nation a few decades after 1776 by President Jefferson as part of the 1803 Louisiana Purchase
Now, I readily admit that there’s nothing in particular in my drink that represents John Adams, the actual protagonist of “1776,” or the great sage and comedy relief of the piece, Benjamin Franklin. Yet, if you dare to try this drink out for yourself — and I think you really should — you’ll find a lively and enjoyable discussion taking place amongst your taste buds, and these were three men who all definitely had their own distinctive points of view. Unfettered debate, with or without rancor, is the very heart of this nation at its best and, this time, I think it’s also the heart of a good drink. I’ll also say that there is no way on earth this drink would work were it not for the unifying factor of the whole egg, which can paper over a million gustatory conflicts.
If you try the Egg and hate it, well, that’s okay. We can’t win every argument. And maybe the dove or the turkey really should have been our national bird. To find out what I mean, observe the mastery of William Daniels as John Adams, Ken Howard as Jefferson, and the late, great Howard da Silva as Franklin, as they discuss the matter at hand
One of the worst things is to have time on your hands and nowhere to go. If you and your friends are looking for some wild and crazy nightlife, mobile apps make it easy to find just the right club with just a few clicks. Whether you are in your own hometown or visiting in a city you are unfamiliar with, apps like Discotech can quickly show you what’s going on in town and even lead you to a restaurant or other event you might like to take in.
The effect Hollywood has on employment makes a strong case for “life imitates art.” Hard-working people can fall in love with what they see on-screen, and turn their fantasies into reality. Such was the case for famous geneticist, Dr. Adam Rutherford, whose interest in scientific research was directly inspired by the movies: “Ghostbusters” and “Back to the Future.” Hollywood is responsible for some significant boons in employment, with the greatest impact on military recruitment, but it’s also provided career inspiration for some truly incredible people in the fields of medicine, criminal justice, and science.
“Top Gun” Prompts Rise in Navy Applications
In 1986, “Top Gun,” starring Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis, inspired Navy applications to go up 500 percent. According to “Operation Hollywood: How the Pentagon Shapes and Censors the Movies” by David Robb, these recruits wanted to be naval aviators like the characters in the film. The movie’s producer even claimed “Top Gun” worked as a recruiting video, and he wasn’t wrong. Navy recruiters often waited outside theaters, hoping to catch eager new recruits ready to sign up after watching the film.
A UK online travel agency has found that the myths of parenthood certainly aren’t exaggerated, with 82% of new parents saying that they need a holiday within just three months of the birth of their little one.
Yes, it’s time for another four-part salute to the just now bygone Turner Classic Movies Festival of 2015. For the second year in a row, I’ll be presenting cocktails of my own creation inspired by some of the amazing films I saw this year. (If you’re interested in last year’s selections, start 
