No longer in stores
A bottle of Basil Hayden often sits at the center of great conversation. So we've partnered with Wildsam, a travel book series made for the uncommonly curious, to bring you more to talk about at the table. Uncork the bottle, unfold the guide, and gather around for an evening that's sure to get more interesting.
A bottle of Basil Hayden often sits at the center of great conversation. So we've partnered with Wildsam, a travel book series made for the uncommonly curious, to bring you more to talk about at the table. Uncork the bottle, unfold the guide, and gather around for an evening that's sure to get more interesting.
No longer in stores
We've partnered with Wildsam Field Guides to create Points of Interest: An Uncommon Conversation Guide. It's a collection of intriguing information gathered from less-explored corners of the country. Together we invite you to unfold it on the table, pour a few glasses, and share some unexpected discoveries.
A bottle of Basil Hayden often sits at the center of great conversation. So we've partnered with Wildsam, a travel book series made for the uncommonly curious, to bring you more to talk about at the table. Uncork the bottle, unfold the guide, and gather around for an evening that's sure to get more interesting.
No longer in stores
The percentage of bourbon that vanishes in the barrel during the aging process, technically by evaporation and porous oak. Divine, indeed.
In 1936, a junior-college sprinter from Pasadena, California ran in the Berlin Olympics and broke the men's 200-meters record. His name was Matthew "Mack" Robinson. READ MORE
In 1935, Golden Gate architect and champion Irving Morrow campaigned for a highly uncommon color for the famous bridge. READ MORE
In 1936, a junior-college sprinter from Pasadena, California, ran in the Berlin Olympics and broke the men's 200-meters record. His name was Matthew "Mack" Robinson. As fate would have it, Jesse Owens ran that summer day in Berlin, also besting the record and edging Robinson by four-tenths of a second. That brush with history, it turns out, would not be a one-time thing:
Mack's younger brother by four years?
Jackie Robinson, the Hall of Famer who
broke baseball's color barrier in 1947.
In 1936, a junior-college sprinter from Pasadena, California, ran in the Berlin Olympics and broke the men's 200-meters record. His name was Matthew "Mack" Robinson. As fate would have it, Jesse Owens ran that summer day in Berlin, also besting the record and edging Robinson by four-tenths of a second. That brush with history, it turns out, would not be a one-time thing:
Mack's younger brother by four years?
Jackie Robinson, the Hall of Famer who
broke baseball's color barrier in 1947.
In 1935, Golden Gate architect and champion Irving Morrow campaigned for a highly uncommon color for the famous bridge. Not blue, not black, but a weather-protecting steel primer-"shop red", as he called it-that already coated the nearly complete structure and had won over the architect's affection. The color was named "International Orange" bright against blue sky and white fog.
In 1935, Golden Gate architect and champion Irving Morrow campaigned for a highly uncommon color for the famous bridge. Not blue, not black, but a weather-protecting steel primer-"shop red", as he called it-that already coated the nearly complete structure and had won over the architect's affection. The color was named "International Orange" bright against blue sky and white fog.
America's have polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker to thanks for popularizing the hot dog on our shores. READ MORE
Bobby Fischer learned the game of chess at the age of 6 with his sister, Joan, using a set they bought at a Brooklyn candy store. READ MORE
The most delightful (and, certainly, the liveliest) residents of Green-Wood cemetery are the flocks of green-gold monk parrots that perch among its 500 acres of trees, ponds and gravestones. READ MORE
America's have polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker to thanks for popularizing the hot dog on our shores. Setting up his Nathan's Famous hot dog stand in Coney Island in 1916, he sold the sausages for a nickel a piece to price his competitor out of the market. He soon had legions of acolytes, including President Franklin D.Roosevelt - who served the hot dogs to the king and queen of England - Barbra Streisand, and Jacqueline Kennedy, thereby kick-starting the country's love affair with the humble snack.
Hot dog vendors stationed in Central Park pay in excess of $100,000 in licensing fees annually. A not-so-cheap snack, after all?
America's have polish immigrant Nathan Handwerker to thanks for popularizing the hot dog on our shores. Setting up his Nathan's Famous hot dog stand in Coney Island in 1916, he sold the sausages for a nickel a piece to price his competitor out of the market. He soon had legions of acolytes, including President Franklin D.Roosevelt - who served the hot dogs to the king and queen of England - Barbra Streisand, and Jacqueline Kennedy, thereby kick-starting the country's love affair with the humble snack.
Hot dog vendors stationed in Central Park pay in excess of $100,000 in licensing fees annually. A not-so-cheap snack, after all?
Bobby Fischer learned the game of chess at the age of 6 with his sister, Joan, using a set they bought at a Brooklyn candy store. Growing up in Crown Heights, he played his first tournament at 9 years old, was the youngest member of the Manhattan Chess Club at 12, and won the United States Open Chess Championship at 14. Just a smooth-cheeked freshman at Erasmus Hall High in Brooklyn, Fischer's wizardry on the board was the stuff of legend, particularly his open-air bouts at Washington Square Park in Manhattan.
You can see famous games of chess played out on the side of the building on Third Avenue and 48th Street in Manhattan. The pizza-box-sized pieces are moved weekly.
Bobby Fischer learned the game of chess at the age of 6 with his sister, Joan, using a set they bought at a Brooklyn candy store. Growing up in Crown Heights, he played his first tournament at 9 years old, was the youngest member of the Manhattan Chess Club at 12, and won the United States Open Chess Championship at 14. Just a smooth-cheeked freshman at Erasmus Hall High in Brooklyn, Fischer's wizardry on the board was the stuff of legend, particularly his open-air bouts at Washington Square Park in Manhattan.
You can see famous games of chess played out on the side of the building on Third Avenue and 48th Street in Manhattan. The pizza-box-sized pieces are moved weekly.
The most delightful (and, certainly, the liveliest) residents of Green-Wood cemetery are the flocks of green-gold monk parrots that perch among its 500 acres of trees, ponds and gravestones. Like many New Yorkers, theirs is a tale of taking hold of one's destiny. The avian beauties, considered pests in their native Argentina, were often sold as exotic pets. Legend has it that, in the late 1960s, a crate full of them broke open at JFK, unleashing the parrots to freedom. A large portion of them made themselves at home in the cemetery, as well as nearby Brooklyn College
The most delightful (and, certainly, the liveliest) residents of Green-Wood cemetery are the flocks of green-gold monk parrots that perch among its 500 acres of trees, ponds and gravestones. Like many New Yorkers, theirs is a tale of taking hold of one's destiny. The avian beauties, considered pests in their native Argentina, were often sold as exotic pets. Legend has it that, in the late 1960s, a crate full of them broke open at JFK, unleashing the parrots to freedom. A large portion of them made themselves at home in the cemetery, as well as nearby Brooklyn College
Track and field superstar Florence Griffith Joyner, or Flo-Jo still holds the 1988 record for the Women's 100m dash. READ MORE
Now emblematic of Los Angeles, palm trees of all but one variety (California Fan Palm) are actually non-native to L.A. READ MORE
Per usual in Tinseltown, the origin story of L.A.'s most famous sandwich has been puffed up over time. READ MORE
Track and field superstar Florence Griffith Joyner, or Flo-Jo, still holds the 1988 record for the Women's 100m dash. It remains the longest held Olympic sprint record of all-time. Despite her untimely passing at 38, she continues to be considered the fastest, and most fashion-forward, athlete in Olympic history. Her custom, asymmetrical "one-legger" bodysuit was a true trailblazer.
Flo-Jo’s husband, Al Joyner, won gold in the 1984 Olympics (Triple Jump). Al’s sister, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, won 3 Olympic gold medals in 1988 and 1992 (Heptathlon and Long Jump).
Track and field superstar Florence Griffith Joyner, or Flo-Jo, still holds the 1988 record for the Women's 100m dash. It remains the longest held Olympic sprint record of all-time. Despite her untimely passing at 38, she continues to be considered the fastest, and most fashion-forward, athlete in Olympic history. Her custom, asymmetrical "one-legger" bodysuit was a true trailblazer.
Flo-Jo’s husband, Al Joyner, won gold in the 1984 Olympics (Triple Jump). Al’s sister, Jackie Joyner-Kersee, won 3 Olympic gold medals in 1988 and 1992 (Heptathlon and Long Jump).
Now emblematic of Los Angeles, palm trees of all but one variety (California Fan Palm) are actually non-native to L.A. The trees were planted with especially robust efforts in the early 20th century to promote the area's exotic, cinematic appeal - the city as one big movie set. In 1931 alone, the city's forestry division planted over 25,000 specimens. Boulevards, boardwalks, city parks - all lined with the stately skydusters. Add cheap train tickets and Hollywood's boom, and L.A.'s population rocketed up from 100,000 in 1900 to over 1.2 million in the 1930s. Up, up and away, just like her imported palms.
Now emblematic of Los Angeles, palm trees of all but one variety (California Fan Palm) are actually non-native to L.A. The trees were planted with especially robust efforts in the early 20th century to promote the area's exotic, cinematic appeal - the city as one big movie set. In 1931 alone, the city's forestry division planted over 25,000 specimens. Boulevards, boardwalks, city parks - all lined with the stately skydusters. Add cheap train tickets and Hollywood's boom, and L.A.'s population rocketed up from 100,000 in 1900 to over 1.2 million in the 1930s. Up, up and away, just like her imported palms.
Per usual in Tinseltown, the origin story of L.A.'s most famous sandwich has been puffed up over time. In the early 1950s, Phillippe Mathieu, French-American proprietor of Phillippe the Original Cafe, just north of downtown, told a reporter his version of the tale. He had been hustling behind the counter, when a customer, noticing gravy drippings in the bottom of a roast beef pan, asked the restauranteur to dip one side of the French roll in the juices. Phillippe obliged, and as he recounted then, a line immediately formed for the new "French Dipped" sandwich. Other cuisine scholars push a more humble take: Mathieu mistakenly dropped a roll into the gravy and a police officer waiting patiently offered to eat it anyway. Millions of dips later, the case remains open.
Per usual in Tinseltown, the origin story of L.A.'s most famous sandwich has been puffed up over time. In the early 1950s, Phillippe Mathieu, French-American proprietor of Phillippe the Original Cafe, just north of downtown, told a reporter his version of the tale. He had been hustling behind the counter, when a customer, noticing gravy drippings in the bottom of a roast beef pan, asked the restauranteur to dip one side of the French roll in the juices. Phillippe obliged, and as he recounted then, a line immediately formed for the new "French Dipped" sandwich. Other cuisine scholars push a more humble take: Mathieu mistakenly dropped a roll into the gravy and a police officer waiting patiently offered to eat it anyway. Millions of dips later, the case remains open.
Before she wrote internationally-revered poetry and non-fiction, 16-year-old Maya Angelou's first job was one of San Francisco's first black streetcar conductors. READ MORE
"GOLD MINE FOUND. In the newly made raceway of the Saw Mill recently erected by Captain Sutter, on the American Fork, gold has been found in considerable quantities. READ MORE
The 1989 Major League World Series was memorable on multiple fronts. First, the series put the two Northern California teams in Oakland and San Francisco head to head. READ MORE
Before she wrote internationally-revered poetry and non-fiction, 16-year-old Maya Angelou's first job was one of San Francisco's first black streetcar conductors. Angelou had moved to live with her mother in Oakland in 1942, and because it was WWII, job opportunities abounded. Still, it took two weeks of persistence (and candor) to convince the transportation officials of her merits. "Why do you want the job?" they finally asked Maya. "I like the uniforms," she said. "And I like the people."
Before she wrote internationally-revered poetry and non-fiction, 16-year-old Maya Angelou's first job was one of San Francisco's first black streetcar conductors. Angelou had moved to live with her mother in Oakland in 1942, and because it was WWII, job opportunities abounded. Still, it took two weeks of persistence (and candor) to convince the transportation officials of her merits. "Why do you want the job?" they finally asked Maya. "I like the uniforms," she said. "And I like the people."
"GOLD MINE FOUND. In the newly made raceway of the Saw Mill recently erected by Captain Sutter, on the American Fork, gold has been found in considerable quantities. One person brought thirty dollars’ worth to New Helvetia, gathered there in a short time. California, no doubt, is rich in mineral wealth; great chances here for scientific capitalists."
By May 1848, the Californian newspaper shut down because its entire staff abandoned their desks for the gold fields. It wasn’t until the next year that the New York Herald published the first East Coast whisper of California’s golden discovery. Hence, the "forty-niners."
"GOLD MINE FOUND. In the newly made raceway of the Saw Mill recently erected by Captain Sutter, on the American Fork, gold has been found in considerable quantities. One person brought thirty dollars’ worth to New Helvetia, gathered there in a short time. California, no doubt, is rich in mineral wealth; great chances here for scientific capitalists."
By May 1848, the Californian newspaper shut down because its entire staff abandoned their desks for the gold fields. It wasn’t until the next year that the New York Herald published the first East Coast whisper of California’s golden discovery. Hence, the "forty-niners."
The 1989 Major League World Series was memorable on multiple fronts. First, the series put the two Northern California teams in Oakland and San Francisco head to head. The "Battle of the Bay" was the first crosstown matchup since 1956 (New York). It also ended in a sweep by the Oakland A's and only the third time a team never trailed in an entire playoff series. Oakland was led by sluggers Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, known during the late 80s as the "Bash Brothers". But mostly notably, the 1989 championship is remembered as the "Earthquake Series;" the Loma Prienta earthquake occurred just minutes before the first pitch of Game 3. Not knowing the extent of damage or injury, on-air TV announcer Al Michaels said, "That's the greatest open in the history of television, bar none!"
The 1989 Major League World Series was memorable on multiple fronts. First, the series put the two Northern California teams in Oakland and San Francisco head to head. The "Battle of the Bay" was the first crosstown matchup since 1956 (New York). It also ended in a sweep by the Oakland A's and only the third time a team never trailed in an entire playoff series. Oakland was led by sluggers Mark McGwire and Jose Canseco, known during the late 80s as the "Bash Brothers". But mostly notably, the 1989 championship is remembered as the "Earthquake Series;" the Loma Prienta earthquake occurred just minutes before the first pitch of Game 3. Not knowing the extent of damage or injury, on-air TV announcer Al Michaels said, "That's the greatest open in the history of television, bar none!"
Basilhayden® encourages responsible drinking. Alcohol should be consumed in moderation. By entering this website, you are agreeing to our Terms and Conditions, Cookie Policy & Privacy Policy