“The two Sazeracs had loosened her up a little and it looked as if we might become buddies.” —James L. Rubel, No Business for a Lady, (Gold Medal Books, 1950). I love the Sazerac so intensely it’s nearly hard for me to talk about it. But while I’m working up to it, remember, talking and typing is thirsty work. Please head over to the bar and fetch me one of these elegant and amazing cocktails, which harmonizes resurgent rye with a slip of sweet, a bite of bitters and an altering and awesome addition of now-legal-again absinthe, and then lets itself be tantalized with a touch of lemon oil, sparkling across the top of the drink like stars across the Milky Way... Read More

 Block Island has an otherworldly air, forgotten by time and lost in the Atlantic. If Martha’s Vineyard is the summer resort of Democratic leaders and Nantucket a mecca of New England preppies, Block Island, which lies 12 miles south of the coast of Rhode Island and 14 miles off the eastern tip of Long Island, is decidedly more humble. It’s a nice respite from the tourist hoards one encounters on the other two islands. Most of the island, all 10 square miles of it, is dotted with parks. Some 43 percent of the island has been protected from development, earning Block Island a spot on the Nature Conservancy’s list of the twelve “Last Great Places” in the western hemisphere... Read More

 With Tiger Woods’ return to golf filling up DVRs on April 8, many duffers will be dreaming of their next round on the greens. Unfortunately, more courses exist than there are days in the week, so GoodLife Report highlighted several courses we think are worth the drive, time and, in some cases, money. From championship-level courses at which one can battle out of the same bunkers as pros to a traditional mountainside course with majestic views, here are a few challenging courses for golfers to test their game. The Ritz-Carlton, Dove MountainWhile the Phoenix/Scottsdale region attracts the majority of golfers heading to Arizona, Tucson is garnering more attention from golf enthusiasts... Read More

 Like organic and free-range, the term “superfood” has become a wellness buzzword. High in phytonutrient content and proven to benefit more than just mere nutrition, superfoods are being viewed as superheroes, shrouded in the mystery that is so often faced by those touted as the savior of mankind. Just as Batman and Superman have their own unique qualities that make them heroes, no two superfoods are exactly equal, either. Below, ten of the caped crusaders of healthy eating have their powers revealed. These foods are all super, but beware of the occasional kryptonite... Read More

 College football is chock-full of tradition, some of it very old, some of it new and much of it booze-fueled and silly. Now that the top NCAA football programs have begun to seal their fates for the season by either losing 56-10 twice or failing to win 56-10 twice during the first two weeks, let’s take a look at some of these traditions. Live MascotsSome teams use live animal mascots to get their fans riled up, and in an era when Hollywood can’t make a single film with a trained dancing bear without drawing the ire of PETA, it’s somewhat heartening to see so many major colleges thumbing their noses at the animal rights organization... Read More

 Santa placed a shiny new iPad under your Christmas tree. Since then, you’ve probably downloaded that Mark Twain autobiography and have test driven innovative apps such as Star Walk and Flipboard. Like so many others, you’ve no doubt come to the conclusion that the revolutionary device is amazing, even if you’ve only used it to drop exploding eggs on those dastardly green pigs in Angry Birds HD. But wait, what’s that? It’s a small scratch on the edge of your new gadget! Old Saint Nick must have spaced on delivering a protective case to keep annoying scrapes and grime at bay. Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered... Read More

Start your tour of Monterey at the Pebble Beach Resorts. Relax along winding, pine-covered 17-Mile Drive on the trip from town—it’s a long one. You’re only thoughts should be on how you’re going to beat your trash-talking brother-in-law on the greens. The Pebble Beach Golf Links have been voted the nation’s top public course by Golf Digest.... Read More

 It wasn’t that long ago that ordering a drink didn’t involve much thought. You’d sidle up to the bar and pick whatever swill fit your mood. Thankfully, Jagermeister and its ilk aren’t your drink of choice anymore. The sustainable trend has moved from the gardens to the distillery. Libations have turned gourmet. You can sip craft beers and organic wines. Now, you can add “green” liquors to the mix. While there are a number of organic spirits on the market, not all organic libations are created equal. For many brands, it’s just a marketing ploy to attract consumers who want to live a healthier lifestyle, even at the bar. Still a few exceptional organic spirits do exist. GLR chose three libations that offered great taste as well as truly organic ingredients... Read More

Flying cars don’t yet exist. And even if they did, their owners would be subjected to environmental guilt trips on a level currently reserved for people who hunt endangered Bengal tigers from moving Hummers. We live in an era when many purchases—cars, light bulbs, fish filets, cleaning products—are viewed as geopolitical decisions, so it’s not exactly seemly to drive powerful, jet-like vehicles for fun. Thankfully, Tesla Motors makes a guilt-free jet-like vehicle. Based in Silicon Valley, Tesla Motors was founded in 2003 by Martin Eberhard and Marc Tarpenning and is currently led by Paypal inventor Elon Musk. It’s the only company in the world that creates 100-percent electric cars... Read More

Bleau Bar, the trendy lobby bar at Miami Beach’s newly renovated Fontainebleau hotel makes me think of Woody Allen’s 2000 movie Small Time Crooks. In the movie, a group of knuckle-headed bandits rent a storefront in order to tunnel a passageway into a nearby bank. To avoid suspicion, the wives of two of the bandits open a bakery selling cookies. The bandits screw up everything but the cookie sales unexpectedly become a massive sensation, sending them to easy street—albeit for a short time.It would seem that Fontainebleau probably expected more fanfare for their new, ultra-chic, ultra-exclusive nightclub LIV than their lobby bar. In fairness, Bleau Bar is no ordinary lobby bar and Fontainebleau is no ordinary hotel... Read More

 Sustainability is a concept we’ve all heard no less than a billion times over the past decade. It’s also one perpetually tugging at the pant legs of architects across the globe. Environmentally-kosher designs have become a near obligation within the industry and are no longer strictly reserved for the drafting boards of wide-eyed visionaries. Many firms are now bent on out greening one another as state and local governments, in addition to other clients, are demanding that their projects earn LEED-certification. Kohn Pedersen Fox worked wonders with the Mandarin Oriental Las Vegas, which opened its doors to the public in December 2009... Read More

Ray Bradburyfamously waxed nostalgic about his family's love of dandelion wine. The storyfirst appeared in Gourmet magazine and conjured a mostly lost bucolic Americain which everyone owned a wine press and the hated weed of today was thought of inmuch gentler terms. “Bottled sunshine” is what he called the tonic they made in thecellar. Even though dandelions are predominantly harvested in spring, thewriting evokes thoughts of endless summer days, backyard baseball games, andkids with fishing poles riding bikes down to the local pond—the sort of stuffour current crop of post-structuralists might call a simulacra... Read More