Cheers to the weekend — and the best Old Fashioned on the market. Image courtesy of Esquire.

We’re here on the cusp of another weekend, my friends — have an Old Fashioned, you deserve it. It’s been a whirlwind month of February for me, seeing as I woke up on February 1st in Vancouver on a weekend jaunt to see one of my favorite bands, Canadian rock stars Arkells, and then spent the rest of my time checking out a neat coastal city (I strongly recommend you hit up Brassneck Brewery and the trendy-but-not-too-trendy beer & cocktail emporium Six Acres). In short, the show & the trip were extraordinary — but you know that if you follow me on Instagram. Vancouver was lovely & extremely walkable, with sunny, breezy weather, great beer, and some tasty Japanese curry fries. The Granville Island Public Market is another eclectic location worth a visit if ever you get out West, too.

What’s on tap next, then? Why, another trip, of course! Back in October, as I started planning out my 2019, I looked “across the pond” and found a neat 2-for-1 opportunity of sorts — the chance to visit iconic, historic Dublin, Ireland, and the chance to see a stellar show by another one of my favorite groups, Scottish synth pop heroes CHVRCHES! In fact, as you read this, I’m en route to Dublin (with a stop at the Guinness Storehouse planned later today). From the Guinness Storehouse, it’ll be off to explore the city and head to the Olympia Theatre to see CHVRCHES play a Friday night show sure to be packed with hits off three much-loved albums, including 2013 classics “The Mother We Share” and “Recover.” From there, I’m looking forward to exploring as much of the city on foot as possible (with my Huckberry Duck Boots in tow, naturally). What’s on your weekend to-do list? Wait, I know the answer: Kicking it off with today’s edition of The Friday Read, and listening to some CHVRCHES. Problem solved!

• Aside from a rich, flavorful IPA, I might put an Old Fashioned second on my list of go-to cocktails for a chilly winter night (the photo at the top really says it all, honestly). On that note, the ever-refined team at Esquire offers up a recipe for what just might be the best Old Fashioned to drink now. It’s super simple, it accentuates the whiskey (I like Michter’s at the moment), and it’s a nice way to unwind after a long day.
• On the hunt for a unique collaboration that’s designed to work at the beach and on the streets? The Hurley x Carhartt collaboration, recently launched, is for you. It blends the spirit of workwear with the adventure-ready mindset of the beach through stylish hoodies, heavyweight tees & more.. And the even better news? I recently wrote about the partnership for The Manual! Check it out above.It’s quite high praise to call out one jacket (that’d be the Fint and Tinder Type 3 Sherpa Jacket) as the best winter jacket, but I’m here to tell you that it’s seriously under consideration for that honor from yours truly. In fact, you should read more about this jacket before it’s snapped up off digital shelves.
• The best style moves are sometimes the simplest — take the Proof Nova Series Jacket, a minimal jacket that offers up big-time performance. To get the full scoop, I’m going to send you to GearMoose to read my latest feature.

So, that’ll do it for today’s edition of The Friday Read. I’ve got some exploration of Dublin to get done now — if you have any suggestions for sights to see in the city, feel free to let me know on Twitter. And in the meantime, I’d urge you to keep your weekend going by shopping for some of the best menswear essentials. There we go! Thanks for reading.