Originally built in 1919, at a time when the Hamptons had emerged as the ultimate high-society summer destination, Villa Maria recently underwent a five-year complete renovation, restoring its Prohibition-era glory. The architect Andre Tchelistcheff and a design team from John Hummel and Associates Custom Builders employed their expertise in historic restoration to revamp the waterfront mansion, incorporating hand-honed limestone and oak floors, Tischler und Sohn mahogany windows, a hand-carved library firepla…

Through October 12 at Le Royal Monceau, Raffles Paris, a celebration of the newly launched Dom Pérignon Rosé Vintage 2003 is taking over living and dining spaces alike. The hotel’s Michelin-starred restaurant is offering a special menu, and one of the luxurious Signature Suites has been transformed by Philippe Starck into a rose-colored wonderland (from about $3,900 per night). Starck’s scheme for the suite draws on Dom Pérignon’s history of collaborating with noted artists and designers: Scattered throughout …

This has been a busy year for the Italian Sea Group, which recently celebrated its seventh launch of 2014. Producing ships under the Admiral, Admiral Sail, and Tecnomar brands, the Carrara, Italy, company began its string of launches in May with the less-than-exciting debut of a new barge; but within two weeks, the company had introduced its first yacht of the year, an Admiral Classique 35 christened Foam.

Created by the Italian Sea Group’s in-house team, the 115-foot Foam features a traditional design that…

The aerospace vehicle revered as the fastest machine within Earth’s atmosphere will be offered for sale by RM Auctions at its annual London auction on September 8. During its first flight in 1991, the Hypersonic Flying Laboratory, known as Kholod—an experimental collaborative project between NASA and the Soviet Central Institute of Aviation Motors—achieved a speed of 4,925 mph (or about Mach 7.5), which set a still-unbroken record. The 5-ton, 39-foot-long craft cost more than $10 million to produce. RM is offe…

During the 82nd annual International Premium Cigar & Pipe Retailers trade show held in Las Vegas in July, one of the salient topics that came from our conversations with the trade’s exceptional cigar makers is the fact that fine cigars are honed and perfected by numerous generations within a family. These tobacco products aren’t produced by conglomerates; instead, they are hand-rolled by people who have learned the craft from their parents and grandparents. It’s not uncommon to find three generations of a …

The aerospace vehicle revered as the fastest machine within Earth’s atmosphere will be offered for sale by RM Auctions at its annual London auction on September 8. During its first flight in 1991, the Hypersonic Flying Laboratory, known as Kholod—an experimental collaborative project between NASA and the Soviet Central Institute of Aviation Motors—achieved a speed of 4,925 mph (or about Mach 7.5), which set a still-unbroken record. The 5-ton, 39-foot-long craft cost more than $10 million to produce. RM is offe…

If you’ve ever popped into the Tavern on 51 at the New York Palace hotel, chances are you’ve caught a glimpse of an off-limits staircase that’s taunted you from behind locked glass doors not far from the bar. No doubt you’ve wondered where that staircase leads. Well we’re here to tell you: It leads upstairs to Rarities, a 25-seat private club that spans two regal rooms of the famed Villard Mansion, a brownstone palazzo that was built in 1884 and later protected by the Landmarks Preservation Commission. The clu…

If you’re a bourbon lover, you already know that getting a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle is beyond difficult—we’re talking quantum-physics hard. Thanks to James Broyhill II, getting a barrel is a little easier. Broyhill is the founder of Heritage Handcrafted, a specialty furniture company in Charlotte, N.C., that repurposes whiskey-barrel staves into a variety of handcrafted pieces. He recently partnered with Pappy & Company to produce a limited-edition gift box made from the staves of barrels that once aged …

If your travels should take you to Seattle, you’ll want to reserve a night to visit Canon: Whiskey and Bitters Emporium, a cozy Central District restaurant and bar dedicated to craft cocktails and vintage spirits. This goes double for all you U.S.-whiskey aficionados. If you’re fortunate enough to get a reservation, we offer you the following advice: Once you’re seated at the bar (or one of the seven tables), order your first libation from the establishment’s seasonal menu. Only after you’ve placed your initia…

It used to be that barrel-aged gin wasn’t a novelty or a niche segment of the market; instead, it was the norm. During the first half of the 19th century, all gins were aged out of necessity—wooden barrels were the only way that the spirit could be transported from the distillery to the tavern. After 1850, however, metal tanks replaced wooden barrels as the gin transportation container of choice. Slightly aged gins didn’t completely die off, but finding a bottle of “yellow gin,” as the aged spirit was known, b…