The Friday Belt: Monkey Shoulder Scotch & Jaws

I had been hearing a lot about a blended malt whisky called Monkey Shoulder -- available only in the U.K. and blended from Glenfiddich, Balvenie and Kininvie, it's a lower priced Scotch but considered a huge value for what it is. Tony Sylvester brought my first bottle on a visit to the US although it may, if not already, be available in the U.S. Look for it.



Bonobos gave me a needlepoint belt with a scene from Jaws. While photographing this Friday Belt, I noticed how thin the belt, made by Tucker Blair was and turned it on it's side. The leather backing seemed much thicker than the actual needlepoint.



For comparison, I yanked a J McLaughlin belt off the Corby Press and was surprised by the contrast. Only a thin backing to thick needlepoint. I won't comment on the quality of leather, stitching and overall workmanship. The Bonobos/Tucker Blair belt retails for $95 while J Mac's belt retailed for $195. Contrary to Tucker's description, "Really awesome" it's not. Of course, people today use "Awesome" to describe tap water so it's all relative.



Which is why J Mac no longer offers a needlepoint belt. I wrote a lot about their belts here. That's price competition for you and I suppose that's what consumers want. The best price. For 22 years, my clients put me in a tight pair of shoes and would laugh as they'd ratchet me down. That's what I want when I buy a blended single malt Scotch. Monkey Shoulder is $30 versus Johnnie Walker Blue Label at $200.



Actually, I'd like a Monkey Wrench better than JW Blue. But who am I -- It does makes me wonder. Are the same people who'll drop $200 for a mediocre Scotch, the same people who'd pick a mediocre needlepoint over something of obvious quality? What are your thoughts? The best comment- pro or con - get's the belt. Size 38. Never been worn. It's really...that, "A" word.

Friday Belt: Teach Me

There's been talk about Teacher's Highland Cream -- That it's losing its stuff. An economical blend, better than most Johnny Walking's, it's rich, creamy and very smooth. At $17 a bottle, you can mix anything with it and sip away without any guilt of screwing up good hooch -- although I'd stay away from milk.

What has lost its stuff is that belt. J. McLaughlin decided to discontinue their luxe needlepoint line. I assume it's because of the much cheaper (and crappier) competition. The McLaughlin needlepoint, I own three, was the best damned needlepoint around...unless it was made by a loved one.



Teacher's Highland Cream is what it was. Nowhere near top shelf but huge value. Quaffable with soda, water or (God forbid) ginger ale, it can also do double duty as a single malt impersonator with a piddle of water for bloom. The blend is 45% malt. Mostly Ardmore. Add water and an oil slick appears looking like a one over fifty thousand map with mountains and rivers churning into each other. It's a beautiful thing to see. Especially in front of a fire.

I love this belt. Understated? No. Bright green rarely is, but it reminds me of the Teacher's aftertaste. A black label picks up the horse tail and hooves while the white of the breeches and saddle belt kick up the contrast. Pink trousers would be an easy enough pairing -- like soda with Scotch, but red cords bring it individuality without riding too far off the reservation.


The bottle is not round like these Esquire ads from the early '60s. Instead, the glass is flattened, much like a pancake, which easily fits into a back pocket... should the spirit move you.



UNC, Chapel Hill, NC - 1965




Winter is the home of Scotch. Wood burns in a fireplace and you can taste it in a glass of Teachers. It's a crazy steal for what it is. And while bright green is not always associated with Winter, the J Mac belt speaks more to how it was. I found mine on sale for $35. I'm not saying you will -- I'm just trying to teach you something...stay away from milk and the Chocolate Choo-Choo.

Friday Belt: Bourbon & UK

Maker's Mark and University of Kentucky Needlepoint Belt

I fell in love with this belt. A hand made needlepoint done in 1974. I'm not a Wildcats fan but I do like the unique. I don't know the original owner or the artist but... I know this for what it is...late 20th Century folk art. At least to me. I'm probably ahead of the curve. How much is any one's guess. But I will guarantee you this. At some point in the future - - belts like this are gonna be in auction houses and snobby antique dealer shops up and down Madison. For now, we all get to play.

$25 all in. I figure the design is not a pattern but was created by the artist. Add to that the time it took and the beautiful harness and I have something that not only keeps my trousers up...I have a little piece of art. And if someone asks, "Hey, did you go to UK?" I'll say proudly, "No, I'm a collector."

And if someone asks, "Are you a bourbon drinker?" I'll say proudly, "Not really. But I write about booze and belts and I'm running outta both." Back in the mid 90's, I scored seats in the private clubhouse of the Keeneland horse track in Lexington, KY. I don't know anything about horses or gambling but I did notice some jockey the day before was always in the top three. So, I bet on this guy, Pat Day. I did alright. The clubhouse has a dress code and ties and jackets were required for men. Southern Trad was everywhere. And so were men ordering, "Maykah's Mawk and Coke all while flicking ashes off Marlboro Lights. I hadn't seen that much smoking since the Army.

Maker's Mark is a light and amazingly smooth bourbon. Mix it in a Coke and you can barely tell it's there. I tried it with Gosling's Ginger Beer (because I still can't find Barritt's in NYC) and it was too hot. Anyway, I'll throw my UK belt on this weekend and have a Coke and Maker's Mark. Hell, I might even watch some football.

Friday Belts - Signal Flags and Manzanila

Manzanilla Sherry - Taste the sea

Signal Flag Belt - - Ms Paltrow is a fan

Summer's almost over and so is this bottle of Manzanilla Sherry. Manzanilla is a dry, white Sherry served ice cold (no ice) and I swear it tastes like the ocean. Briny and clean with a distinct taste that you're either gonna love or hate. Kind'a like me. But it's affordable, unlike me, and well worth the gamble. Try it with green olives, cured meats and my favorite...raw oysters. Hard to find but worth the hunt. Just make sure it's the Manzanilla. I like to listen to Christopher Parkening doing Segovia and pretend I'm in Spain hitting on Gwyneth Paltrow - -in front of Batali in his Crocs.

The belt? You may have seen it in the past. I scanned it. Awful image. I like this one much more. J. McLaughlin needlepoint with lots of detail and better than most of what's being cranked out in Vietnam and sold under preppy names here. I like to wear it when I'm drinking Manzanilla and pretending I'm hitting on Gwyneth.

The Friday Belt - Cava & Crew

Spanish Cava & J Crew

A Cava Clue

Here's the deal. I'm on the road. Who knows where I'll be by the time you read this -- but it is not gonna be around the Gulf Foxtrot-- which is a good thing. She'd knock the crap outta me if she could reach me. A week ago I heard about this Cava or sparkler that was getting some amazing word of mouth in the city. With the current economy, everyone's looking for a good deal. I've been looking for a good deal since I could walk.

So I'd like to push the people who've been living like drunken sailors aside and show 'em how a pro does it. The first thing you do when you find a sparkling rose for $16.00 that taste like a $80 Billecart Salmon Rose ...is to keep your mouth shut. But I can't help myself --Which is why, when the Gulf Foxtrot reads this, she's gonna go ballistic. We have a stock pile but I don't how long it's gonna last. And that's why I can't tell you what it is but I can give you some clues in that picture up there. Lets see how good and thirsty you are.

The belt is a J. Crew needlepoint with golf flags. I like to think it's nautical but the Crew description was golf flags. My cousin was a Hilton Head golf pro and I wanted to be just like him. I started golf lessons when I was 12. I used rentals until my dad came home with brand new Sam Snead junior clubs. 3,5,7 and 9 irons plus a putter and a wood. No bag. Dad said I didn't need one with so few clubs. I played golf carrying the clubs --three in each hand. This caused some conversation on the course which appears to have found its way back to Dad. A 36 club shaft saver bag in red and black was purchased the next day. I never had a lot of club when I was 12 but I did have a lot of bag.

Friday Belts: Stout Foxes

Guinness Stout, Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout and Young's Double Chocolate Stout

I have a dear friend who I've known since 1980. He has never judged me. He has always been there for me. I love him like the brother I never had. But Brian always buys beer that's on sale. I understand he's married with a family and a budget is important - - I understand that. But after you've been playing tennis in Florida - - in the summer - - and you're hot and soaked in sweat - -you do not invite me to your home and offer me a Stout.

But on a New York City winter's night - - with a bowl of Wick Fowler's Two Alarm chili -- there is nothing better. Add some decent corn bread. You know, the stuff that tastes like cake and I'm a very happy man. This Winter Brian is offering up IPAs, pilsners, lagers and anything else that ain't moving in the beer aisle.

I've been a big fan of Guinness for as long as I've been drinking beer. There are folks who read this blog that'll confirm, in the 80's, I bought warm, bottled Guinness in bars...and happily drank it. The Pub cans are head and shoulders above that old bottled tangy taste. But not even Guinness comes anywhere near Samuel Smith's Imperial Stout. Something of an acquired taste on single guy's budget ($10 for 4) I can assure you Brian'll never offer you one of these. Winter or Summer. They never go on sale and they're tough to find. If you see a 4 pack - - grab it.

Lastly, there's Young's Double Chocolate Stout. It's okay. Very creamy but not nearly as complex as Imperial. A big girl's blouse stout, yeah? Great for a beginner. There's a bunch more Stouts out there and Brian can certainly steer you to the stuff on sale come July.


J. McLaughlin Needlepoint Fox Belt

I was thinking of doing Champagne with the needlepoint Fox belt but they don't pair very well. This belt is from J McLaughlin and I'm a fan. There are other needlepoint's out there but nothing comes close to the heft, detail, stitching and heavy brass of the McLaughlin belt (unless you can con someone to make one for you). The Fox and Riding Crops on the navy field look perfectly at home on heavy winter cords.

The Odd Jacket is side vented but a proper hacking jacket would be center vented. Not that I care. I don't ride anymore and could care less. My sister will tell you I never could ride but that's a whole bunch of other stories which remind me of the time she locked me in a tack room in the middle of July.



Another Fox

That's Mrs Charles R. Rogers who appeared in the Summer 1953 issue of Gentry Magazine. I think she's stunning. Love her hair. I'm not sure why but in band I always had a thing for girls who played horn.

Trad Needlepoint Belts

Following up on the Southern Trad post...I am a big fan of the needlepoint belt. I see it a lot in the south and have noticed it more and more in New York City. But there is a difference.

When I was in college, a small liberal arts college somewhere in the south, my southern girlfriend made a belt for me. It was pink and green needlepoint with my initials. She glued some sort of fabric as a backing and took it to a cobbler to add the bridle and buckle. I was so happy.

Flash forward some years and my new wife finds this belt stuck in the back of my closet. It's back there because I'm no longer a 30" waist but can't bear to part with it. I mean, it's hand made! By someone I knew. Very well I might add. "What's this?" The wife asks. I don't know why she asks because I can tell she already knows. So, out with it. "It's a belt that was made for me by my girlfriend when I was in college." She turns the belt over and squints at the glued backing. "Not a very good job is it?"

I'll spare the you the rest. You should know what happened to the belt. It was thrown away. I still have a thing for needlepoint belts. You can buy them easily enough and considering the work and hours that go into them - - $150 and up are a small price to pay. The picture on the top is a J. McLaughlin signal flag belt I own. I purchased it at their store in NYC on Madison between 92nd & 93rd. The middle picture is J Mac as well.

A word of advice. If you're in the neighborhood please stop by The Blue Tree on Madison just a block south between 91st and 92nd. Great stuff including the hard to find Santa Maria shaving cream and even better stuff is the owner, Phoebe Cates. You may even get to meet her...like I did. One of the most beautiful women ever. Well, in all honesty we didn't exactly meet. She gave me directions to McLaughlins but hoo-boy... Kevin Kline is one lucky mother fuuu...

McLaughlin sells their belts for $195 and that ain't cheap (unless you throw in a sighting of Phoebe to go along with it). But there's great quality here. The bridle and buckle are thick and solid. Check out the border of the top belt with the nautical line stitching. Great details. The bottom picture is a Smather's and Branson needlepoint. Both J Mac and S&B go to Vietnam for the needle pointing. But the J Mac excels over S&B's cheap and thin bridle. I'm not a fan of their buckle either. I think S&B runs around $165 if you're interested.

But the true Trad needlepoint is the one made for you with a pattern made for you. That's what I've been seeing in NYC. Bespoke needlepoint and is it beautiful in it's originality. The houses you've lived in. The boats you've owned. A time line of your life. Your marriages and divorces. I mean the ideas are endless. Profanity in signal flags is something I've been toying with.