Bravado Living

It seems like advertisers are recognizing a new era of masculine identity. Long gone is the mass appeal of shows like “Queer Eye for the Straight Guy,” and instead have focused on the resurgence of rugged outback. America has traded in its idolizations from the boyish Spiderman, to the lumberjack Wolverine.

Paul Walker to Jason Stratham.

This subtle shift in culture over the past couple of years is being reflected in everyday culture, most notably how advertisers try and target the male demographic.

Old Spice has come out with commercials showing wimps turning into men

Mitchum Man has used a clever campaign littered with matching, borderline sexist, slogans like: “If they look real enough, you’re a Mitchum Man,” “If you still order your coffee Small, Medium, or Large, you’re a Mitchum Man,” “If your socks kind of match, you’re a Mitchum Man.”

Typical Mitchum Man Ad

One shift that has been particularly pronounced has been liquor commercials. Grey Goose commercials showing scantily clad women partying have been replaced by Ketel One commercials emphasizing male bonding. A girl dancing in a club for Beck’s, to the “Most Interesting Man in the World.” In fact, the majority of new commercials coming from liquor distributors have not featured women at all. They’ve centered around the relationships men have with their friends, their fathers, and their ego.

So without further ado the Top 5 Liquor commercials of this era:

5.)

A father-son relationship emblazoned.  Can’t get better then that. We’ll excuse the poetry.

4.)

Although this commercial breaks the mold, and does have women in it, the focus is on being a gentlemen, and not being a pig. We like the simplicity, admiration, and the subtle plug for drinking responsibly. Very well done.

3.)

You really have to watch this one twice, because the jazz overpowers the message. “It took him 12 years to get the gig in this joint, and now he’s been headlining for 25″ We love the mentor, protege, relationship in this one. Truly phenomenal.

2.)

We have shivers down our spine.

1.)

A little predictable we know, and beer is technically not liquor, but you can’t deny the alarming success of this campaign. He exudes masculinity, and probably has never even heard of the term metrosexual. It captures the essence the advertisers were trying to employ perfectly. Blends the perfect amount of humor and message. It is for this reason, we consider “The Most Interesting Man in the World,” the top liquor commercial of this era.

Feel like we’re missing a commercial? Let us know, we’d love to keep this list updated.

We’re not talking about how to tip your waitress, or your mait’r'e d.  If you don’t know how to do that, you need a lot more help than this site can give you. We’re talking about how to tip in situations where tipping isn’t customary, where the small incentive of paper currency can help get what you want.

This technique involves slipping a $20, $50, or $100 dollar bill  in the hands of a patron with the hopes of getting something in return. I have personally used this technique in three situations that have all worked phenomenally:

1.) Getting into a club where I didn’t know the doorman.

2.) Getting an upgraded hotel room from the concierge.

3.) Ensuring my luggage gets on a plane when I arrived 20 minutes before takeoff

There is a great thread talking about the success of slipping a $20 here.

A smile and a Jackson can soften anyone up

The trick with tipping in this manner is understanding the needs and wishes of the people you tip. You can’t just go around waving a Franklin and expecting better service. Often times they have a supervisor nearby, the establishment’s policy discourages tips, they may not feel comfortable accepting a tip in front of their coworkers. Understanding this you will need to be discrete. You need to help them help you.

How To Tip Properly

We discourage blatantly saying you will tip the patron, flashing money, or dropping a $20 on a counter- this is rude, shocking, and crass. Instead state your request, and ask for their help. Then repeat these magic words:

“If you take care of me, I will take care of you.”

Pulling out your wallet or casually placing your wallet on the counter will help reinforce what “take care of” truly means to you. If they accept:

1.) Grab the bill or bills and fold it in your hand

Fold the bill in your hand and tip discretely

2.) Shake their hand

3.) Exchange the money

Here are a few conversations I have had in the past, the patrons objections, and what I have done to overcome them.

At a club:

Dealing with Bouncers

Bouncer: Are you on the list?

Me: No, I am not.

Bouncer: ::Looking at me and my party of 6:: Ok it’s going to be $20 each.

Me: Is there anyway you could hook us up?

Bouncer: Sorry, you’re all going to have to pay.

Me: Are you sure? If you take care of me, I will take care of you. ::Pulls out wallet::

Bouncer: ::Softening up:: No.. you still have to pay

Me: I’d much rather pay you, then her ::referring to cashier- while opening wallet::

Bouncer: ::Thinks for a second:: Ok, go ahead. ::Opens velvet rope, tells cashier that we’re all ok to go in::

Me: ::Slips the bouncer a $20, escort my group in, enjoy the rest of the night with a smirk on my face::

This was an actual conversation at a Miami club. It was as simple as that. My whole party was escorted in like we owned the place, we saved $100 between the 6 of us, I solidified my reputation amongst my friends for being able to get in anywhere, and we all had a great time.

At a Hotel:

Bellagio Front Desk

What a lot of people don’t realize is that concierges and booking agents have unbelievable power when it comes to giving away goodies- from room upgrades, meal comps, drink tickets, and club passes. Because of this power, this technique works even better at hotels.

First

Research the hotel you are staying at. Familiarize yourself with the different suite upgrades they have available. Then call the front desk ahead of time, ask a few questions, find out if the person you are speaking with will be working when you check in. If they will not be working, call back until you find someone who will. Then ask for their name.

Next

When you arrive for check in, go directly to the guy (keyword- guy) you spoke with on the phone. Remind him of the conversation you had on the phone. When he remembers you, make sure you keep using his name throughout the conversation (this develops a good repoire).

Ask him “Busy Day?”

Service industry people love this question, because it’s a refreshing change of pace to see someone care about their feelings rather than worrying about everyone else’s.

After you soften him up a little bit ask directly which suite upgrade you would like by name.

They will usually quote the standard upgrade price. This is what you will do next.

Here is an actual conversation I had with a concierge in Vegas.

At a Hotel:

Concierge: “Ok sir, if you would like to upgrade your room that will be an extra $165/night”

Me: Please, call me (my name). (Insert his name here) Is there anything else we can do to make this upgrade happen. “If you take care of me, I will take care of you.” ::places wallet on counter::

Concierge: ::looks at the wallet, then pretends to crunch a few numbers in his computer:: Ok (my name), you have just been upgraded to (Inset fancy name here) suite, complimentarily.

Me: Why thank you (insert name here). Do you mind helping me up to my room with my bags?

They always oblige (customer service is always number one in any decent hotel). I then use this time to further increase my relationship with the concierge, pick his brain for any great shows, clubs, attractions, that I must see. He tells me to come back down and he will get me some free passes to everything he can.

I never let him actually carry my luggage, I tell him “don’t worry about it, I just didn’t want to tip you in front of your boss, I know how it works- I used to work the front desk in (insert Miami hotel here).” I then slip him some decent bank roll.

Because of this I was able to stay in a penthouse suite for an entire weekend which would have cost me over a grand for less than $200 a night, including the tip.

You can skimp and get away with slipping a bouncer a $20, or even a $10 if you’re really bold, because by the time he accepts the cash, you and your crew are already half-way through the entrance. But, with a concierge, I would tip generously. They will remember you throughout the weekend and continue to give you great advice, comps, and service.

Last Minute Tips:

-Black guys tend to hook it up the most

-Asian ladies tend to hook it up the least

-Generally guys will hook it up more than women will

And that’s it. Feel free to use this technique at any number of places:

1.) Ticket collectors at sporting events

2.) Baggage handlers

3.) A host at your favorite restaurant

4.) Yacht rental clubs

5.) Rent-A-Car locations

The sky is the limit. You never know what you can get away. It doesn’t hurt to ask. Good luck, and happy hunting.

Hosting is an art

There are tons of way to impress guests when entertaining in one’s home. You can show off the old big screen, flat or otherwise. You can always cash in cool points on having a good collection of pretty much anything that doesn’t make you seem like a pre-teen trapped in an adult’s body. So knives, books, art, and furniture are a yes; baseball cards, and action figures, and we’ll assume the 40 Year Old Virgin was based on a true story.

One guaranteed crowd-pleaser is a stocked home bar. Something about having a home bar, and by that I mean something that is more than a cabinet with a couple bottles of liquor and wine, really gets people’s juices flowing. You don’t even need to build a gigantic fully stocked home bar, just something with the “bar essentials” that can be placed in the corner or a back of a room or salon. Once that’s done, a simple cocktail recipe book and a little common sense is all you need. Here are the basics for a small bar at home.

THE BOOZE:
Beer, Lager(refrigerate)
Blended whiskey or Rye
Bourbon
Brandy
Gin
Pernod
Red wine, Cabernet Sauvignon and/or dry French
Rum, light
Scotch
Sherry, dry
Tequila, white
Triple Sec
Vermouth, dry and sweet
Vodka(keep in freezer)
White wine, dry French or California chardonnay(refrigerate)

Good start

MIXERS:
Cola
Cranberry juice
Diet soda
Ginger ale
Grapefruit juice
Lemon juice
Lemon-lime soda
Lime juice
Orange juice
Sparkling water
Tomato juice
Tonic water

GARNISHES AND CONDIMENTS:
Angostura bitters
Bar sugar
Black pepper
Cocktail Olives
Grenadine
Lemons
Limes
Maraschino cherries
Oranges
Tabasco sauce
Worcestershire sauce

GLASSWARE:
Brandy sniffer
Champagne flute
Cocktail glass
Highball glass
Old-Fashioned glass
Pilsner glass
Wine goblet

TOOLS OF THE TRADE:
Bar spoon
Blender
Bottle opener
Citrus reamer
Corkscrew
Jigger
Measuring cup
Measuring spoons
Mixing glass
Paring Knife
Standard shaker
Strainer.

Don’t let sheer magnitude of the list scare you. Build your bar slowly by starting with the basics:

1.) A great sipping whisky (Macallan’s 18, Highland Park 21, Blue Label)

2.) A great mixing whiskey (Dewer’s 12, Crown Royal, Maker’s Mark, Black Label)

3.) A premium bottle of vodka (Belvedere or Grey Goose, and Ketel One)

4.) A great Reposado or Blanco Tequila (4 Copas, Gran Patron Silver, 1921)

5.) A great selection of beers (Lagers, Dunkels, and your college favorite for impromptu parties)

6.) Champagne (Either for a celebration, or for girls that don’t like the taste of alcohol)

7.) Amaretto (For making amaretto sours- only for girls that don’t like the taste of alcohol)

8.) Respectable selection of wines (Red, Whites, Chardonnay, Sovereign Blanc, Zinfandel, etc)

9.) Extra’s: Ice! , Quality glasses, Large Heavy Duty Shaker (don’t put anything carbonated in it- rookie mistake), Towels

10.) Mixers: Soda’s, Sour mix, Juices, etc.

11.) Something impressive to put it all in (Go dark wood, with darker leather)

Impromptu Party

Good luck and happy hosting.

Hat Tip

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