Staff Picks October 6th

Welcome to InsideHook’s Staff Picks, a compendium of what our editors are digging recently.

Have you ever made anyone or anything this excited? (We haven’t.)

But, for less tree-colliding thrills, enjoy our staff picks:

Le Labo Patchouli 24
Being from the Pacific Northwest, I am sensitive to the connotations, and frankly the damn smell of the commonplace patchouli sold and worn everywhere in the region. This scent is not that. It’s like comparing moonshine to a fine Scotch, which incidentally is what this smells most like to me. Scotch, leather, smoke and maybe just a trace of something herbal underneath it all.
— Athena Wisotsky, Senior Editor

Hook & Albert Chris Paul Collection Dopp Kit
I have seven beat-down-with-the-ugly-stick Dopp kits floating around. That’s shameful. I work for a freakin’ men’s magazine, I should have a handsome one. In the search, I found this looker. It’s dapper, spill-proof and a portion of proceeds from the sale go to the Chris Paul Family Foundation. So I get to look good and feel all sorts of good on the inside to boot. — Shari Gab, New York Editor

AeroPress Coffee and Espresso Maker
Like many of you, I’m a Dale Cooper type, always on the hunt for some damn fine coffee. Similarly, I’m constantly looking for a damn fine coffee maker. I’ve had my eye on the $365 Newton, but the ultimate utilitarian machine is the $30 AeroPress kit. I’ve had mine for over three years, made at least 1,000 cups of coffee and am still on my first pack of filters (reduce, reuse, recycle). If you already have an espresso setup at home, pack this for the campsite. — Alex Lauer, Associate Editor

Solo New York Leather Backpack
Out of all the things one can receive a compliment about while riding the subway (nice hat, cool shoes, the adept way you avoided that mystery liquid), a backpack tends to be towards the back-end of the list. That said, while holding this lightweight leather model at eye level of a seated passenger, I once received a tug on the pant leg and a “nice backpack, man.” For an easy-to-carry pack that’s already got a padded laptop pocket, plenty of pockets and a five-year guarantee, that was just icing. $92. Free shipping. ‘Nuff said. — Evan Bleier, News Editor

Sonos One
We saw a demo of the new units early this week, and we were impressed. This rebuilt-from-the-ground-up take on the popular home speaker now comes with Alexa integration. It’s a great way to go hands-free with your home audio system and not clutter your house with a separate Alexa device. (That said, if you have an older Sonos system, you can now pair it with a cheap Amazon Echo Dot and get the same voice assistant/control). Available for pre-order at $199. (Oh, and speaking of older Sonos, if you want an older Play:1 or Play:5, you can save $50-$100 if you order one through Alexa.) — Kirk Miller, Managing Editor/Nation Editor

Portuguese Flannel Lobo Corduroy Shirt
If you’re not familiar with Portuguese Flannel, you’re missing out on some seriously beautiful (and fairly priced) shirts. Their new corduroy button-downs are cut and sewn in Portugal and feature corduroy of the fine-width variety. Layers, y’all. And the best part? Costs just $109. — Michael Nolledo, Deputy Editor

Laserlight Blaze
I’ve just started biking to work along the Expo Bike Path, a nice trail that runs parallel to the light rail from Santa Monica to Downtown, and Laserlight by Blaze appears to be my best bet for evening safety. The 300 lumens can pierce even the darkest stretches, and it displays a hologram-like image of a bike 19 feet in front of my handlebars to alert drivers that I’m there. — Reuben Brody, Los Angeles Editor

Leaving you with a drink for fall, courtesy of bartender extraordinaire Johnny Swet from JIMMY at The James.

Mexican S’mores

1.5 oz. Ilegal Repo Mezcal
1.5 oz. Prichard’s Chocolate Fudge Liquor
4 dashes Aztec Chocolate Bitters
2 mini marshmallows, toasted

In a cocktail shaker, combine the mezcal, chocolate fudge liquor, and chocolate bitters. Shake with ice for around ten seconds, then strain and pour over ice in a rocks glass. Garnish with a spike of the toasted marshmallows.

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