Does this tie match? What color shirt goes with these pants? These confusing, colorful questions burden every man, everywhere.

Gentlemen, to truly master the art of dressing, we must become learned individuals on the basics of color coordination. And learning to combine colors isn’t as difficult as you might think. A complete understanding of color and the color wheel is a time-consuming lesson, but thankfully an easier, more basic way for coordinating colors exists. While numerous, more complex rules are out there, here are five easy-to-use rules for color coordination.

1 – White shirts go with everything
When all else fails, raise a white flag. A white shirt works with absolutely anything you have, especially those uniquely colored items you’re not sure how to match. Couple it with a bright, patterned tie or wear it under a pastel-colored V-neck sweater; either way you’re looking sharp and perfectly coordinated. A classic, well-fitting white shirt is timeless, worth its weight in gold, and sure to keep you on the front line of fashion.

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Style Rule #7
Tall, slender men: avoid stripes

Style Rule #23
Your sports coat and trousers should not match, but should complement each other

Style Rule #37
Your tie should complement your jacket, not strictly match it .

No matter how many artisanal whiskeys hit the market, it seems there’s never one that matches your idea of smoky, caramel-hued perfection. So why not make your own?

The Whiskey Your Way program at House Spirits Distillery in Portland, Oregon, lets you tailor an entire barrel (about 100 bottles) to your exact specifications. And just to make sure you know what you’re doing, the process kicks off with a tasting seminar, which will help you explain to you drinking companions back home why a Port finish and Oregon oak barrels are the only way to go.

Read more here.

Here’s a tip for your next trip to your favorite watering hole: find the ice machine. The state of a bar’s ice machine speaks volumes about the establishment’s overall attitude toward the customer experience and, sadly, most bars fall frighteningly short. I remember a particular ice machine at a local bar that was crammed in the corner of a perpetually too-hot storage closet. The cooling vents looked like my dryer’s lint collector and sheets of ice would fall into the bin speckled with black dots. I stuck to pints (at least the beer lines were cleaned regularly).

But times, they are a-changin’. Upscale joints are now paying closer attention to their ice, ice, baby, (had to be done—just be glad it wasn’t this post’s headline), according to an article in the L.A. Times. Triple-filtered, custom-cubed, hand-chunked ice is becoming all the rage in places from the Windy City to all the way across the pond in London. But come on, just how important is ice to a cocktail? As long as I can taste the booze, does it really matter where my ice comes from or what it looks like?

You’re damn straight, it does. Ice impacts a cocktail in a number of ways:

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What makes a boss great? It’s a question that’s been researched for a while now. I’ll avoid giving any advice that isn’t rooted in real proof of efficacy; I want to pass along the techniques and behaviors that are grounded in sound research. It seems to me that, by adopting the habits of good bosses and shunning the sins of bad bosses, anyone can do a better job overseeing the work of others.

At the same time, I’ve come to conclude that all the technique and behavior coaching in the world won’t make a boss great if that boss doesn’t also have a certain mindset.

My readings of peer-reviewed studies, plus my more idiosyncratic experience studying and consulting to managers in many settings, have led me identify some key beliefs that are held by the best bosses — and rejected, or more often simply never even thought about, by the worst bosses. Here they are, presented as a neat dozen:

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For special occasions, you might be okay with throwing down $23 on a cocktail. The fine barmen at Comme Ça will be slinging Rockefellers—a jigger of 23-year Rittenhouse rye, a pony of sweet vermouth, a dash of bitters and a brandy-soaked cherry. Make it two.

Comme Ça
8479 Melrose Avenue
West Hollywood, CA 90069

Style Rule #19
If you can’t slip two fingers between your collar and your neck the shirt is too small.

Style Rule #36
Your sports coat and trousers should not match, but should complement each other.

Style Rule #41
Your shirt color should be lighter than your tie.

Kobe has the hardware. LeBron has the swagger. So, who ya got?

(polls)

The finish line, the end zone, dangling from the hoop—these are the places where you live.

Also: in front of a cold pint, surrounded by flat-screens, watching other people doing the dangling. Which is where an upscale new restaurant and sports bar on Third Street called Goal comes in.

Basically, it’s the one thing that’s been missing from this patch of road. While she’s brunching or shoe shopping, you can slide into a maroon booth to catch the game over a beer and The Juicy J, a half-pound burger stuffed with pepper jack. (They’re open noon to midnight daily, so it works for a lunchtime escape from the office too.)

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Wine is the perfect accompaniment to any date. So listen, guys, I’m about to let you in on a little secret. Here are 10 wines that are sure to please and impress the ladies.

Sojourn Cellars Sonoma Coast Pinot Noir – “Cherry raspberry with lots of earthy, dark forest notes. Taste is rich and full with dark pinot fruit. Good acidity for food.” … “One of the most delicious pinots I’ve ever had.”

Caldwell Rocket Science Proprietary Red – “Blackberries, blueberries, vanilla, brown sugar… blueberry crisp in a glass.” … “Sweet chocolate gives way to a lingering taste of cherries.”

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