Each and every month in the Boss Hunting office we’re lucky enough to sample, find, taste, explore, and curate some of the coolest stuff the world has to offer. From sleep trackers and cocktails to tailors and runners, these are Boss Hunting’s favourite things for April 2023.
Curated by Garry Lu, Randy Lai, Nick Kenyon, Chris Singh, Oscar Green and Nick Mayor
RELATED: Boss Hunting’s Favourite Things: March 2023
Salers Gentiane Liqueur
While I’ll never get sick of drinking a classic Campari sodden Negroni, there’s no harm in playing around with a few alternatives to the classic cocktail. To that end, I’ve been enjoyably sipping on the odd White Negroni recently thanks to picking up a couple of bottles of Salers Gentiane Liqueur, which serves as a great alternative to the sometimes hard-to-come-by Suze Gentian Aperitif.
While liquor ratios always offer an area to tinker with, I’ve been enjoying 1.5:1:1.5 of Salers, Lillet Blanc and dry gin (respectively), garnished with a simple lemon twist. If you’re keen on adding another simple cocktail to your repertoire without buying half a dozen bottles of various Mediterranean tinctures, this is a great one to try. – Nick Kenyon
Apple Watch Ultra
I’ve always loved the idea of an Apple Watch and have owned one since the first series, but one thing that always bugged me was how short the battery life was. I wasn’t a fan of charging it overnight and found that if I forgot to put it on the next day, it’d inevitably be out of battery again by the time I got home.
That’s all changed with the new(ish) Apple Watch Ultra and after I bought one a couple of days ago and charged it up to 100%, it still has an impressive 78% of charge remaining. By a long way, it’s been my favourite Apple product in recent years. From the way it looks and feels on the wrist to the endless list of features and capabilities that it has, if you’re looking for an upgrade, you won’t be disappointed with it. – Oscar
Bao Diep Tailor – (Hoi An, Vietnam)
Just because selecting the entire country of Vietnam would be cheating, I’ve opted to go with this fine establishment. During my month-long sojourn to the enchanting slice of South-East Asian paradise, I decided to take advantage of Hoi An’s reputedly high-quality and incredibly affordable tailoring. So what does an almost unbelievably quick 36-hour turnaround period and $1,000 AUD buy you?
A bloody good deal of bespoke clothing. But I personally went with seven linen shirts, three linen trousers, three linen shorts, as well as an imitation Burberry trenchcoat (because why not?). Essentially a brand new wardrobe. And just to reiterate: exceptional quality of products, even better customer service.
Not only does Bao Diep offer a global delivery service to those who rather not be burdened by the extra baggage, but they also keep your measurements on file so you can order more clothing from the comfort of your home. Be sure to ask for the gentleman called Dong if you ever get the distinct pleasure of shopping here. – Garry
Acero
Acero is pretty much all I’ve been doing this month so I guess it’d qualify as a favourite thing. I’ve started PT with Jono Costano and his team at Kensington (Sydney) gym Acero, which is that gym you always see blue ticks posting about on IG. It’s not cheap but it’s fast become an addiction with me going four times a week and the trainers offering help far beyond the 45-minute sessions. It also helps that the Technogym equipment is all solid and kept in perfect condition. – Chris
Nike Pegasus Trail 4 GORE-TEX
While I’ll be the first to admit I’m not the fittest bloke in the office, I have been making an effort to exercise more frequently this year, particularly this month. So, in an attempt to shave off the muffin top, I’ve really stepped up my cardio fitness and, as such, needed a solid all-rounder shoe that would fit the brief.
Enter the Pegasus Trail 4 GORE-TEX from Nike.
No, I’m not the most frequent bush-basher, but, like a concrete cowboy investing in a Land Cruiser, I enjoy having the option to unleash havoc on some dirt tracks if the occasion presents itself. Below my shins and supporting this ever-growing gut of Guinness are some of the daintiest ankles you’ll ever see. Often having trouble finding shoes that support such vulnerable ankles has plagued me and my running in the past, but the support of these bad boys has really impressed me.
It’s this support, the all-day comfort, and the look that tick all the boxes for me – the weatherproof outer that allows me to run in the rain or splash in puddles like the little boy I am is just a bonus. Overall, I didn’t think I would enjoy wearing these shoes as much as I do, and I couldn’t recommend them more. – Nick Mayor
Chalets At Blackheath
Technically a holdover from the Easter long weekend – and one I conveniently forgot to mention in the March edition of ‘Favourite Things’ – I’ve been meaning to revisit my brief stay at the Chalets at Blackheath for some time – one of a mere three ‘Small Luxury Hotels of the World’ in Australia.
Opened in the final days of 2022, the property offers a pointedly Antipodean twist on the ‘eco-luxe’ resort – a popular, all too often exasperating trope in the luxury travel industry. Fortunately, the Chalets (which currently consist of a few timber cabins set amidst 7 acres of Blue Mountains bushland) are in a class apart; lifted to ‘must visit’ status on the back of each structure’s comfy, thoughtful design, fine-touch service, and an atmosphere tranquil enough to soothe even the angriest of city boys.
Granted, all that privacy and palatial playspace – including a roaring communal fire pit – comes at a cost; with a single night (booked on weekdays) arriving at the hefty sum of $1,300. That’s quite a lot to fork out no matter how you slice it, more so when one considers that the closest dining options are a 15-minute car ride away.
And yet, there’s something indecipherably magical about bedding down right on the doorstep of the Grose Valley. Rising early on the morning of our departure – to make the short trek to Evans Lookout nearby – I was struck by how characterful the hotel’s setting is; and, to put it plainly, why a property of this character can only ever exist within the beautiful, eye-stretching vastness of Terra Australis. Plus: the guest services team put together an extremely mean continental breakfast spread. – Randy
Withings Sleep Analyser
I’m sceptical about most things, especially when it comes to health tech. I’ve been using the Withings Smart Scale for a few years now and love to depth of information it gives over a normal scale. So when I was offered a chance to try out the brand’s Sleep Analyser I went for it. Now, I suspect I have sleep apnea, which has gotten quite bad recently and further investigation is probably something I should prioritise since I’m getting on with age.
The sleep analyser works well enough for me to recommend it. It’s pretty much just a thin mat that you place under your mattress while you sleep and it collects data for you mostly regarding breathing issues and heart rate. I have hypertension so these insights are important to me and I’ve found it’s accurate enough, typically giving me similar results to my Apple Watch.
I haven’t tested out the IFTTT functionality yet but you’re also able to sync it with smart home devices so, for example, you can trigger it to dim lights automatically when you get into bed. Not bad at all. – Chris
