Author: Site Adminstrator

Crowns, corgis and Land Rovers are just a few of the icons associated with the British Royal Family—and the famed SUVs are coming to New York City this weekend for the first time. As part of their U.S. tour, you can see the vehicles for free this weekend and learn about their history in honor of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II.

Jaguar Land Rover will display the vehicles of the late Queen of England on the Plaza at Rockefeller Center from Thursday, October 17 through Sunday, October 20. The immersive display will feature 10 of Queen Elizabeth II’s Land Rover, Defender, and Range Rover vehicles. The SUVs have strong connections to the Royal Family, either serving official functions or supporting activities on the Royal estates—and they have super cool features, too.

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Staff will be on site to talk about each vehicle’s designs, history, and service with the Royal Family. The exhibition will even feature two of the earliest Royal vehicles. Here’s more about the vehicles on display. 

Full list of royal vehicles on display in NYC

1954 Land Rover Series I State Review vehicle

The very first State Review Land Rover vehicle featured a custom‑designed rear platform. It accompanied HM Queen Elizabeth II and HM The Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, on a six‑month tour of the Commonwealth. This particular vehicle was sent to Australia for that leg of the tour and is now under the care of a private collector in the U.S.

1954 Land Rover Series I (NXN1)

Originally ordered by HM King George VI, it was used by HM Queen Elizabeth II and other senior members of the Royal Family at Balmoral. Land Rover apprentices restored it in 2010, and it now resides in the Land Rover Classic collection.

1958 Land Rover Series II State Review vehicle

The second official ceremonial review Land Rover vehicle featured blue side light lenses, which were switched on whenever a member of the Royal family was being carried. This example was a reserve vehicle, which explains its low mileage of approximately 13,000 miles. It forms part of the Royal Collection at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon.

1966 Land Rover Series IIa Station Wagon (JYV1D)

Driven by HM Queen Elizabeth II, this was the first Station Wagon of its kind to be fitted with a six‑cylinder engine. It also features a host of special features, including leather seats, a wooden dog guard, and side steps, to help it fulfill its Royal duties. It now forms part of the Royal Collection at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon.

1974 Range Rover State Review vehicle

The first Range Rover vehicle to take the role of ceremonial State Review vehicle entered service in 1975 and was used until 2002. Its specially modified rear included foldaway seats and a lectern containing concealed umbrellas. An additional exhaust silencer ensured noise from the V8 engine was kept to a minimum for its Royal passengers. It now forms part of the Royal Collection at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon.

1990 Range Rover State Review vehicle

The third State Review Range Rover vehicle featured in the image chosen by HM Queen Elizabeth II for her 1994 Christmas card, where she and HRH Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, were pictured attending the 50th Anniversary of D‑Day Landings in Arromanches. This vehicle is part of the British Motor Museum collection.

1983 Defender 110 V8 (A444RYV)

A personal vehicle commissioned and used by HM Queen Elizabeth II, it was used on Crown estates Sandringham and Balmoral and was ideal for rural transport and Royal pursuits. The car is fitted with special equipment, leather seats, and a special radio system and is finished in dark green paint to Queen Elizabeth II’s choice. With grab handles and footsteps, it is suitable for hunting and fishing trips. This vehicle is part of the British Motor Museum collection.

1996 Range Rover P38 State 1 Royal Review

This is the fourth State I Royal Review vehicle provided by Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations and replaced the previous State I Range Rover from 1990.

These bespoke vehicles were used on Royal tours at home and abroad by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip. Like all state vehicles it is painted in the Royal color claret with a distinctive red pinstripe running down the side of the car, but additionally boasts hand‑painted crests on the doors and tailgate. It features the royal crown topped by a golden crowned lion, which is part of the royal Coat of Arms, and is surrounded by a garter bearing the motto “Honi soit qui mal y pense” (meaning shame on him who thinks evil). This symbolizes the Order of the Garter, an ancient order of knighthood.

The specially adapted rear platform for the royal party to look out from was given four foldaway seats, rather than the usual two that are in other state vehicles. This vehicle is part of the British Motor Museum collection.

2005 Range Rover L322 State Review

This is the fifth State I Royal Review vehicle provided by Land Rover’s Special Vehicle Operations. The specially adapted rear platform from which the royal party can look out has the same black leather upholstery as inside the driver’s cabin. The tailgate folds down to reveal a set of stairs so the royal party can easily access the platform. This vehicle was famously used to transport the then Duke and Duchess of Cambridge and Prince Harry during Queen Elizabeth II’s ninetieth birthday parade in 2016. This vehicle is part of the British Motor Museum collection.

2009 Range Rover (CK58 NPJ)

There are numerous pictures of HM Queen Elizabeth II behind the wheel of this Range Rover vehicle, as it was her favored vehicle after it joined the fleet. The famous labrador mascot that adorned the bonnet has been removed for safekeeping.

Exhibition hours

Exhibition hours are as follows: Thursday, October 17, 10am-4pm; Friday, October 18, 8am-8pm; Saturday, October 19, 10am-8pm; Sunday, October 20, 10am-6pm. 

* This article was originally published here

Back in 2019, two Danes wanted to bring a taste of Scandinavia to New York. So, they did, opening the all-day cafe, Smør, in the East Village. Owned by Sebastian Perez and Sebastian Bangsgaard, the tiny storefront became a known locale for smoked salmon toasts for breakfast and open-faced sandwiches (aka Smørrebrød, which is also where the name came from) for lunch. A few years in, they expanded with a bakery and cafe down the street, Smør Bakery, baking bread for all its sandwich and toast offerings. For their second act, they took the train over to Brooklyn, bringing their Scandinavian eats to Clinton Hill. 

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Smør Clinton Hill (26 Putnam Avenue) is now open. With more space to flex its wings—1,000 square feet of it, to be exact—the full-service restaurant and bakery offers communal eats in a minimalist Nordic background. Just like its sister restaurant, Smør will be serving up classic Copenhagen-style eats all day long. Breakfast can start with cardamom buns and Danish pancakes, while savory morings call for the Danish street cart favorite, Pariser Toast, with melted cheese, prosciutto and whipped tomato butter. Smørrebrød is on offer as well, such as the Egg & Shrimp with fjord shrimp, a soft-boiled egg and dill. Shareable small plates define the dinner menu, leaning on fare from the sea with Trout Toast and Fluke Crudo. Even the Fancy Fries come with a squid ink aioli for dipping. The Smør Dog makes its way here too, squirted with curry ketchup and mustard, plus dices of red onion.

Ready to pair, the expanded wine and beer program features natural vinos from the far reaches of France and Austria to Loire Valley and Oregon. Plus a well-curated selection of local and international vermouths will be on offer. For the non-imbibing crowd, Danish sodas will be mixed in-house, stirred with elderflower, blackcurrant and lingonberry.

* This article was originally published here

Standing in front of the collection of spirits at Matchbook Distilling Company in Greenport on Long Island, it almost looked as if I had stepped into a local liquor store. As opposed to the distinct, uniform brand of offerings I’d see at another distillery, each label, bottle and spirit wildly differed from the next. On one shelf, a deep blush amaro was branded with a pink label with loopy red lettering. Above it, pocket-sized glass flasks of a smoked pineapple spirit were stamped with a witchy black-and-gold label. Cask-aged whiskeys sat next to bottled botanicals made from sweet potatoes and smoked sunchokes. While it may seem at random at first glance, this is the beauty of this experimental distillery.

Opened in 2018, Matchbook Distilling Company serves as an incubator where anyone—and yes, anyone—can produce their own craft spirits. Just a few years ago, an operation like this wouldn’t have existed. Previously, in order to distill your own spirits in New York, you had to own your own distillery, something that is unobtainable for most of us. With a background working for big-name liquor brands and a passion for the industry, Leslie Merinoff Kwasnieski helped pass legislation that allows for an individual or company without a license to produce their own spirits—they just need to go to a licensed distiller. And thus, her distillery came to life. Now, Matchbook Distilling Company has gone on to create spirits for local producers, private collectors and more. And you too can create your own at their gin-making workshop.

Every Saturday, the distillery hosts a Create Your Own Gin Making Experience. With only 10 seats available, classes are intimate, informative and each person walks away with their own bottle to take home. Over the summer, I arrived at the industrial-size distillery and tasting room on a press trip with Chinola, a fresh fruit liqueur that is handcrafted in the Dominican Republic (which is also owned by Kwasnieski’s brother, Andrew Merinoff). The window display outside gave a preview of the rustic vibes inside, featuring jewel-toned spirits with glass globes and botanicals hanging above. The theme continued on in the tasting room with caramel leather seating, white wood walls and long wooden tables. Black granite bars ran parallel down the space, on one side, the walk up bar, the other, our makeshift classroom space framed by botanicals sitting on the shelves.

Instead of lingering at the counter, our class began with a tour of the warehouse facility. Guided by Kwanieski, the tour navigated through 20-foot-high column stills, the bottling line and a dedicated barrel room. As we walked, she talked about the history of the space, the process and the current liquors in rotation. As we passed by the fermentation bins, she gave us a sneak peek of the action, peeling back one of the covers to reveal a heap of mossy white pineapples. Soon, she said, the fermented pineapples would be crushed and distilled into their core spirit, Ritual Sister.

Once we got an idea of how the liquor was made, we returned back to the tasting room to make our own. At the long granite counter, a beaker, tasting glass and a graduated cylinder were laid out, ready for our experimentation. Lined up against the wall were a range of botanicals—ancho chili, szechuan, and of course, juniper. We were invited to swirl and sip any botanical that resonated with us. No spit buckets were provided, instead, what we didn’t like we could spit it out right on the concrete floor. Kwanieski assured us cleaning happens after class, plus, she said with a cheery disposition, the botanicals helped to perfume the room.

I got right to work, grabbing bottles that seemed the most interesting, sipping on familiar notes like coriander and bay leaf to ones unfamiliar to me, like yarrow and palo alto. I sipped, swirled and, yes, even spit on someone’s floor. For a ready palate cleanser, the bartender also shook up a few cocktails. While the spirits would usually come from Matchbook’s catalog, the Chinola company took over bar duties, shaking up a tiki-style Chinola Passion Saturn and a Chinola Mango Sour, a riff on a New York Sour. 

Soon I added a little makrut in the beaker here, a little splash of peppercorn there. Once I filled the beaker to the brim, I brought it over to Kwasnieski who bottled it and labeled it. We were given tags to mark off what botanicals we used, tying it around the neck of the bottle with twine. The last step was to name our creations. Thanks to the amount of rose I added, I went with “Blush.”

Once I made it back home that evening, I popped open the cork for a nightcap. With each sip, I got a taste of citrus and peppercorn, herbaceous juniper and the softness of rose. I placed the gin on my bar cart, feeling accomplished that I have a bottle to call all my own.

Create Your Own Gin Making Experience is held every Saturday at 1pm or 3pm for $100/person.

* This article was originally published here